Recurrent gonorrhoea in South Australia, 1987-2003

In Australia, it is unclear if individuals are being recurrently infected with gonorrhoea, a proxy for identifying core groups. We reviewed all notified gonococcal (GC) infections in South Australia between 1987 and 2003. A case of repeated GC infection is one in which at least one further episode of GC infection occurred after 30 days and within 365 days of the first infection. There were 253 recurrent infections (7.26%) from 238 individuals. Men who have sex with men (MSM) and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (ATSI) were significantly more likely to be recurrently infected with gonorrhoea than the rest of the South Australian population. This method of identifying individuals who have recurrent gonococcal infections can be used to target more frequent screening for individuals in a population who are more likely to be a part of the core group.