The following numbers of promoter sequences were used to generate the logos: 25 sites of Sinorhizobium meliloti, 59 sites of E. coli, 142 sites of B. subtilis, 41 sites of Chlamydia trachomatis, 35 sites of M. pneumoniae, 25 sites of Prochlorococcus marinus, 21 sites of Campylobacter jejuni and 23 sites of M. hyopneumoniae.
Studies looking at sites of chlamydia infection in women found chlamydia present in both urethra and endocervix in 73-76%, endocervix only in 15-16%, and urethra only in 10-11%. 2 3 The optimal diagnostic sample must be able to detect the maximum number of infected people.
The current strategy of sexual-history based screening of multiple anatomic sites for chlamydia and gonorrhoea in MSM is a useful and valid guideline which is to be preferred over a symptom-based screening protocol.
In the present study, we evaluate the protocol of screening multiple anatomic sites for chlamydia and gonorrhoea in a large cohort of MSM at an STI clinic in the Netherlands to assess the usefulness of this screening strategy in routine practice.
This study shows that testing of multiple anatomic sites for chlamydia and gonorrhoea based on sexual history is a useful strategy for screening for chlamydia and gonorrhoea in MSM.
Chlamydia trachomatis, an obligate intracellular pathogen, is the most common cause of ReA but only 1%to3%3% of patients acquiring infection at the urogenital tract as the primary site of infection develop Chlamydia-induced arthritis [ 1, 2].
It has recently been proposed that autoinoculation (the inoculation of a site with infective bodies from another site on the same individual) of chlamydia from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to the genital tract is possible in women, and that the GI tract may be a niche for persistent infection [ 7- 9].
The 95% confidence intervals for the sensitivity of the Chlamydia Rapid Test were larger at site 1 than at site 2. Also, in the determination of chlamydia load, the reference curve was based on purified plasmid preparations in buffer, therefore we could not control for inhibitory substances potentially present in some urine specimens.
Chlamydia testing was limited to urogenital site, which might underestimate the true burden of chlamydia as other studies showed that prevalence of anorectal chlamydia is substantial in both MSM and women [ 26, 28, 29].
The distribution of prevalence of chlamydia and gonorrhoea per anatomic site was depicted stratified by 5-year age groups.
