Evaluation of extragenital screening for gonorrhea and chlamydia in HIV-infected active duty Air Force members

This study evaluated the hypothesis that detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infections among HIV-infected active duty members of the U.S. Air Force would increase after expanding screening to include extragenital infections. Before and after the start of extragenital screening, urethral screening was positive for GC/CT in 2.9% and 1.9% of HIV-infected service members. Much higher proportions of rectal (11.1%) and pharyngeal (21.9%) specimens were found to be positive for GC or CT after starting extragenital screening. Only 5.9% of the extragenital positive specimens were associated with positive urethra specimens. Circumstances that warrant routine extragenital screening and the potential benefits are discussed.