How actively should we screen for chlamydia and gonorrhoea in MSM and other high-ST-prevalence populations as we enter the era of increasingly untreatable infections? A viewpoint.

A number of national and international organizations are advocating more intensive screening for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in high-prevalence populations as a way to reduce the prevalence of these infections. In this article, we review the available evidence and conclude that there is a paucity of evidence to support this approach. We further hypothesize that increasing screening intensity in high-prevalence populations will result in a considerable risk for the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae and other pathobionts.