Isolation of Neisseria gonorrhea from the urethra of asymptomatic adolescent males.

Symptomatic infection with Neisseria gonorrhea (NG) has become a major health problem in the adolescent population. While sexually active adults, who carry Neisseria gonorrhea may serve as a reservoir of infection even when asymptomatic, there are few data documenting the frequency of the asymptomatic carrier state in adolescent males. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of NG isolates in a sample of asymptomatic adolescent males (ages 13-18 years). Urethral cultures and gram stains were performed on 249 males (95% black) from a lower socioeconomic background presenting to an adolescent clinic for routine health care. Of the 249 males cultured, 177 were without symptoms or signs of urethritis. NG were isolated from four (2.26%) patients (Z = 2.03, p less than or equal to 0.043). They were also isolated from 65 (90.3%) of the remaining 72 who had either symptoms or signs of urethritis. Although 26% of the patients had documented gonococcal disease, only 8% offered a genitourinary complaint at the time of initial evaluation. Our data indicate a low but statistically significant incidence of NG colonization comparable to that found in adult males in this population of asymptomatic adolescent males.