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Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae prevalence
and coinfection in adolescents entering selected U.S. juvenile detention
centers, 1997-2002.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases 2005;32(4):255-259.
Kahn RH, Mosure DH, Blank S, Kent CK, Chow JM, Boudov MR, Brock J, Tulloch
S, and the Jail STD Prevalence Monitoring Project.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Juvenile detention centers offer public health practitioners an
opportunity to gain access to large numbers of adolescents at risk for chlamydia
and gonorrhea. GOAL: To describe the prevalence and coinfection of chlamydia
and gonorrhea among adolescents in 14 US juvenile detention centers from
1997 to 2002. STUDY: We calculated the prevalence of chlamydia and gonorrhea
in males and females, stratified by race/ethnicity, age group, and site.
We also calculated the proportion of adolescents with chlamydia that were
coinfected with gonorrhea and the proportion of those with gonorrhea that
were coinfected with chlamydia. RESULTS: The prevalence of chlamydia was
15.6% in 33,619 females and 5.9% in 98,296 males; gonorrhea prevalence was
5.1% in females and 1.3% in males. Of females with gonorrhea, 54% were coinfected
with chlamydia, and 51% of males with gonorrhea were coinfected with chlamydia.
CONCLUSIONS: Chlamydia and gonorrhea prevalence was very high in females
in all project sites. In males, chlamydia prevalence was high in some areas;
however, gonorrhea prevalence was substantially lower. These prevalence data
justify screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea among female adolescents in
juvenile detention centers nationally.