OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that an active follow-up program to assess for reinfection after gonorrhea treatment could be a useful disease control strategy. GOAL: We evaluated an active follow-up and repeat testing program for all Baltimore sexually transmitted disease clinic patients diagnosed with gonorrhea. STUDY DESIGN: From September 2003 to May 2004, all clients with a treated gonorrhea infection were advised to return 3 months later for repeat testing. If clients did not return as scheduled, field outreach was attempted. At follow-up visits, urine was tested for gonorrhea and consenting participants completed a behavioral survey. In addition, we reviewed morbidity records for any intercurrent gonorrhea infections reported during the project period. RESULTS: Of the 667 participants diagnosed with gonorrhea at baseline, 54 had a gonorrhea reinfection diagnosed for an incidence of 13.8 per 100 person-years. One hundred seventy-eight (27%) either presented for a follow-up visit or were located through field efforts, and of these, 5 (2.8%) had gonorrhea detected on follow-up urine testing. No measured factors had predictive value in identifying gonorrhea reinfection. CONCLUSIONS: Although reinfection rates were high, we found that field staff intervention to increase follow-up testing rates did not identify a significant amount of repeat infections compared with passive surveillance.
OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that an active follow-up program to assess for reinfection after gonorrhea treatment could be a useful disease control strategy. GOAL: We evaluated an active follow-up and repeat testing program for all Baltimore sexually transmitted disease clinic patients diagnosed with gonorrhea. STUDY DESIGN: From September 2003 to May 2004, all clients with a treated gonorrhea infection were advised to return 3 months later for repeat testing. If clients did not return as scheduled, field outreach was attempted. At follow-up visits, urine was tested for gonorrhea and consenting participants completed a behavioral survey. In addition, we reviewed morbidity records for any intercurrent gonorrhea infections reported during the project period. RESULTS: Of the 667 participants diagnosed with gonorrhea at baseline, 54 had a gonorrhea reinfection diagnosed for an incidence of 13.8 per 100 person-years. One hundred seventy-eight (27%) either presented for a follow-up visit or were located through field efforts, and of these, 5 (2.8%) had gonorrhea detected on follow-up urine testing. No measured factors had predictive value in identifying gonorrhea reinfection. CONCLUSIONS: Although reinfection rates were high, we found that field staff intervention to increase follow-up testing rates did not identify a significant amount of repeat infections compared with passive surveillance.
Authors: Lori Marie Newman; Deborah Dowell; Kyle Bernstein; Jennifer Donnelly; Summer Martins; Mark Stenger; Jeffrey Stover; Hillard Weinstock Journal: Public Health Rep Date: 2012 May-Jun Impact factor: 2.792
Authors: Abigail Norris Turner; Alexandria M Carter; Yih-Ling Tzeng; David S Stephens; Morgan A Brown; Brandon M Snyder; Adam C Retchless; Xin Wang; Jose A Bazan Journal: Clin Infect Dis Date: 2022-07-06 Impact factor: 20.999