1 in 8 MSM Tested Positive for STIs in Throat, Rectum

By Kelly Young

Edited by William E. Chavey, MD, MS

About one in eight men who have sex with men (MSM) tested positive for extragenital sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which are frequently asymptomatic and act as reservoirs of infection. The findings appear in MMWR.

Researchers recruited 2000 MSM at community venues (e.g., bars, gyms) in five U.S. cities. Participants provided rectal and pharyngeal swabs, which were tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea.

Roughly 13% of participants tested positive at one or both anatomic sites. Rectal chlamydia was more common than rectal gonorrhea (7.3% vs. 4.5%), while pharyngeal gonorrhea was more common than chlamydia (4.6% vs. 1.4%). HIV-infected participants had a higher prevalence of rectal gonorrhea (8.2%).

A third of the men said they had not been screened for STIs in the past year. Current guidelines recommend that men who have receptive anal and oral sex with men should be screened at least annually for rectal and pharyngeal gonorrhea and chlamydia. The authors write that higher-risk men may need to be screened every 3 to 6 months.