Chlamydia trachomatis urethritis in university men: risk factors and rates

This study reports the rates of Chlamydia trachomatis genital infection in two groups of university men. One hundred twenty-seven came to the student health center with genitourinary complaints, and 29 were identified as the sexual partners of women with chlamydia infections. Evidence of chlamydial infection was found in 29 (22.8 percent) of those presenting with complaints and in 6 (20.7 percent) who were contacts of chlamydia-infected women. Comparison of all symptomatic patients with sexually active controls without genitourinary complaints showed that the symptomatic patients had significantly more frequent exposures to different sexual partners and that they, or their partners, were more likely to have had a sexually transmitted disease. Chlamydial urethritis was significantly more frequent than "nonspecific" urethritis in symptomatic patients who claimed membership in a campus fraternity (P = 0.004). Complaints more likely to be noted with chlamydia included itching (P = 0.004), burning on urination (P = 0.0325), and purulent discharge (P = 0.036).