The prevalence and combination of gonorrhea and chlamydia in patients with urethritis and treatment outcome

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction Urethritis is a common urinary tract infection, in which urethritis due to sexually transmitted infection accounts for a large proportion, especially among sexually active men. The most common causes include gonorrhea and chlamydia. Aim To evaluate the prevalence and combination of gonorrhea and chlamydia in patients with urethritis and treatment outcome. Material and Methods A retrospective study was caried out on all patients with urethritis due to gonorrhea and/or chlamydia at the Center for Andrology and Sexual Medicine (Vietnam-Germany University Hanoi, Vietnam) from January 2021 to March 2021. The patient's urethritis was confirmed by culture and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing of fluid from the patient's penis. Patient data were collected and analyzed. Main Outcome Measure The number of urethritis patients were caused by gonorrhea and/or chlamydia were collected during 3 months is 54, the combination of two bacteria was 15% and overall treatment results were good. Results The mean age of patients was 29.56 ± 6.7 (18-54) years old. There were 17/54 (31%) patients with simple gonococcal infection, 29/54 (54%) patients were diagnosed with urethritis solely due to chlamydia, 8/54 (15%) patients had urethritis due to both gonorrhea and chlamydia. Of the 25 patients with gonococcal urethritis (mono and chlamydia co-infection): 18/25 patients (72%) were culture positive, while 7 patients (28%) were positive with gonorrhea by PCR. Antibiogram results of 18 patients diagnosed with gonorrhea showed that 18/18 patients were sensitive to spectinomycin, followed by cefoxitin (15/18 patients - accounting for 83.3%), cefotaxime (12/18 patients - accounting for 66.7%) and ceftriaxone (11 out of 18 patients -61.1%). All patients diagnosed with gonococcal urethritis alone or co-infection with chlamydia recovered after the treatment. One of 29 patients with chlamydial urethritis remained symptomatic after completion of the treatment and was tested positive for chlamydia by PCR; while 28 of 29 patients showed good results. Conclusion The physician should note the presence of gonorrhea and/or chlamydia and their combination in the diagnosis of urethritis. People who are diagnosed with this disease need to be treated early with the right antibiotics for a good outcome. Disclosure Work supported by industry: no.