Cross-sectional study of urethral exposures at last sexual episode associated with non-gonococcal urethritis among STD clinic patients.

Although We enrolled STD clinic patients with and without NGU assigned male sex at birth and age ≥16 into a cross-sectional study. NGU was urethral symptoms or visible discharge plus ≥5 polymorphonuclear leucocytes without Between 8 August 2014 and 1 November 2017, we enrolled 432 patients, including 183 MSM/TGWSM (118 NGU+, 65 NGU-) and 249 MSW (126 NGU+, 123 NGU-). The mean age was 34; 59% were white. CT and MG were detected in 72 (30%) and 49 (20%) NGU+ participants, respectively. Compared with MSM/TGWSM reporting only non-urethral exposures at last sex, those reporting insertive anal intercourse (IAI) only (adjusted OR (AOR)=4.46, 95% CI 1.09 to 18.19) and IAI with insertive oral sex (IOS) (AOR=7.88, 95% CI 2.67 to 23.26) had higher odds of NGU. MSM/TGWSM reporting IOS only had no significant increased odds (AOR=1.67, 95% CI 0.58 to 4.85). Compared with MSW whose only urethral exposure at last sex was vaginal sex (VS), MSW reporting IOS and VS had similar odds of NGU (OR=0.84, 95% CI 0.50 to 1.41). The results were similar for non-CT/non-MG NGU. Among MSM/TGWSM, IAI may lead to transmission of yet-unidentified rectal micro-organisms that cause non-CT/non-MG NGU, in addition to transmission of known pathogens. Sites of urethral exposure appear less important for understanding NGU risk among MSW due to minimal variation in behaviour.

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Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Competing interests: CMK and LEM have received donations of test kits and reagents from Hologic. All other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.