Screening asymptomatic adolescent men for Chlamydia trachomatis in school-based health centers using urine-based nucleic acid amplification tests.

Background: Urine-based screening for Chlamydia trachomatis using highly sensitive and specific nucleic acid amplification tests offers a unique opportunity to screen men attending school-based health centers.

Methods: As part of a large multicenter chlamydia screening project in men, 1434 students were enrolled; 1090 in high schools in Baltimore and 344 middle and high-school students in Denver. Students were screened for chlamydia using urine-based nucleic acid amplification tests at well adolescent visits, acute care visits, or visits for other reasons, such as sports physicals.

Discussing HIV serostatus with prospective sex partners: a potential HIV prevention strategy among high-risk men who have sex with men.

Objective: To study factors associated with HIV serostatus discussions among men who have sex with men (MSM).

Design: The authors conducted a cross-sectional survey among MSM visiting an urban sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinic.

Methods: MSM were asked about sex partner recruitment, serostatus of partners, condom use, drugs use, and HIV serostatus discussions with sex partners.

Age-bridging among young, urban, heterosexual males with asymptomatic Chlamydia trachomatis.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of age-bridgers among urban males aged 14-24 years, asymptomatically infected with chlamydia and to determine factors that distinguish age-bridgers from non age-bridgers. An index was defined as an age-bridger if within 2 months, he had had at least two sexual partners who differed from him in age by > or =2 years.

Methods: Infected males provided data about themselves and up to four sexual partners in the past 2 months.

Sex partner selection, social networks, and repeat sexually transmitted infections in young men: a preliminary report.

Goal: The goal of this study was to examine the risk for repeat sexually transmitted infections (STIs) associated with reducing the number of sex partners who come from within the social networks of males 13 to 25 years old in Baltimore, Maryland, and Denver, Colorado.

Study: Asymptomatic males diagnosed with chlamydia and/or gonorrhea as part of an asymptomatic chlamydia and gonorrhea male screening project were recruited and interviewed about their sexual behaviors and their perceptions of social characteristics and sexual behaviors of their sex partners. We characterized the sex partners of each participant as belonging to or not belonging to his social network.

Trends in clinic visits and diagnosed Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections after the introduction of a copayment in a sexually transmitted infection clinic.

Background: To meet their sexually transmitted infection (STI) control mission, STI clinics most often offer services at no or minimal cost to clients. However, there is little knowledge about the effects of charging service fees on clinic attendance and STI identification. As a result of budget shortfalls, a clinic fee of 15 US dollars for Denver residents (up to 65 US dollars for nonresidents) was introduced in the Denver Metro Health (STI) Clinic (DMHC) in December 2002.

Concurrent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in sex partners of patients with selected STIs: implications for patient-delivered partner therapy.

Background: Patient-delivered partner therapy (PDPT) is the practice of providing disease-specific antimicrobial agents to patients for delivery to their sex partners. Some partners who receive PDPT may forgo clinical evaluation, resulting in missed opportunities for the diagnosis and treatment of comorbid conditions.

Methods: We conducted a review of electronic charts for 8623 individuals attending 4 sexually transmitted disease clinics who were sex partners of patients with selected sexually transmitted infections (STIs).