Pharyngeal carriage of Neisseria meningitidis and anogenital gonorrhea: evidence for their relationship.

The relationship between pharyngeal carriage of Neisseria meningitidis and anogenital infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae was investigated at two separate clinics for sexually transmitted diseases in New York City. Of the entire study group of 738 patients, 310 (42%) had pharyngeal N. meningitidis. Gonorrhea appeared in 130 (17.9%) of the 738 patients. Of the 130 patients with anogenital gonorrhea, 73 (56.3%) had N. meningitidis-positive pharyngeal cultures. Neisseria meningitidis was found in the pharyngeal cultures of 39% of the gonorrhea-free patients; 23.2% of patients with N. meningitidis-positive pharyngeal cultures had concomitant anogenital gonorrhea. Of the patients free of pharyngeal N. meningitidis, 13.1% had anogenital gonorrhea. In both facilities, the pharyngeal carriers of N. meningitidis had a 1.9 times greater risk of genital gonorrhea as compared with N. meningitidis-negative patients. Patients with anogenital gonorrhea at both study sites were 1.4-1.7 times more likely to be pharyngeal carriers of N. meningitidis as compared with gonorrhea-free patients.