Anogenital Infection with Neisseria meningitidis in Homosexual Men

Among homosexual men anal infection with Neisseria meningitidis was more prevalent (15 of 731 men) than expected and significantly more prevalent than urethral infection with N. meningitidis (three of 669 men, P < 0.01). Anal infection was also significantly more prevalent among homosexual men th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of infectious diseases 1978-04, Vol.137 (4), p.458-463
Main Authors: Judson, Franklyn N., Ehret, Josephine M., Eickhoff, Theodore C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ampicillin - therapeutic use
Antibiotics
Anus Diseases - microbiology
Erythromycin - therapeutic use
Female
Genital Diseases, Male - microbiology
Homosexuality
Humans
Infections
Large intestine
Major Articles
Male
Male homosexuality
Men
Meningitis, Meningococcal - drug therapy
Meningococcal infections
Neisseria
Neisseria gonorrhoeae - isolation & purification
Neisseria meningitidis
Neisseria meningitidis - isolation & purification
Penicillin
Penicillins - therapeutic use
Tetracyclines - therapeutic use
Urethra
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Summary:Among homosexual men anal infection with Neisseria meningitidis was more prevalent (15 of 731 men) than expected and significantly more prevalent than urethral infection with N. meningitidis (three of 669 men, P < 0.01). Anal infection was also significantly more prevalent among homosexual men than among heterosexual women (two of 1,197 women, P < 0.001). These differences in rates of prevalence may be best explained by a preference of meningococci for anal mucosa and by the common homosexual practice of oral-anal sexual contact. Serogrouping of the 17 anal and three urethral isolates revealed a broad representation of serogroups often found in meningococcal pharyngeal carriage in the community. Of 14 patients who returned for a test-of-cure culture within seven days of treatment with an antibiotic regimen recommended for anogenital gonococcal infection, each was culture-negative for N. meningitidis. Minor anal symptoms in three men and profuse urethral discharges in two men resolved with treatment.
ISSN:0022-1899
1537-6613
DOI:10.1093/infdis/137.4.458