Chlamydia and gonorrhea co-occurrence in a high school population.

BACKGROUND

Chlamydia and gonorrhea coinfection outside of healthcare facilities is less well known.

GOAL: To determine the co-occurrence of both sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among high school students participating in a school-based screening and to assess the relevance of dual treatment recommendations in this population.

STUDY

DESIGN

During the 1998 to 1999 school year, 5,877 students attending an urban U.S. school district were screened for chlamydia and gonorrhea using urine ligase chain reaction assays.

RESULTS

Overall, 451 students had chlamydia, 117 had gonorrhea, including 50 who had both STDs. The gonorrhea and chlamydia co-infections were 50/451 (11.1%) and 50/117 (42.7%), respectively. STD symptoms were reported by 16.0% of students having both infections, 7.7% of those having gonorrhea only, and 5.0% of students having chlamydia only (P = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The rates of coinfection in this population exceeded those that justify dual treatment in patient-care settings. Chlamydia and gonorrhea co-occurrence may be highly prevalent among certain populations not attending patient-care settings.