We analyzed the database from the Korean National Infectious Diseases Surveillance to reveal clinical characteristics of co-infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (CT).
Eligible cases included a single NG infection (male/female) for 6,421 (4,975/1,446), a single CT infection for 20,436 (6,107/14,329), and co-infection for 498 (233/265) between 2011 and 2015.
Cases of NG and CT have increased for 5 years; the proportion of co-infected male has increased continuously and was positively correlated with that of CT infections. But the proportion of co-infected female was positively correlated with that of NG infections, following an expanded wavelike-pattern. Generally, people with co-infection was younger than either infection alone (p=0.001). But the characteristics of co-infection revealed sex-specific differences. While the co-infected females were younger than females in NG (p=0.001) or CT group (p=0.001), the co-infected males were younger than males in CT (p=0.001) only, not males in the NG group (p=0.394). Amongst males, 4.47% with NG had CT infection, while in female 15.49% with NG had CT (p=0.001). In contrast, in male 3.68% with CT infection had NG infection and in female 1.82% of CT had NG (p=0.001). Young people in both sexes have increased risks of co-infection bi-directionally (all p=0.001), except males with NG that were also co-infected with CT (p=0.642).
The sex-specific findings in co-infection may improve understanding of gender-specific characteristics in NG and CT infections. Co-infected people are increasing for 5 years. Therefore, we must consider long-term complication of the co-infected people.
The world journal of men's health. 2019 Dec 27 [Epub ahead of print]
Yumi Seo, Kyung Hwa Choi, Gilho Lee
Department of Urology, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea., Department of Preventive Medicine, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea., Department of Urology, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea. .