The management of prepubertal children with gonorrhea

To determine whether test-of-cure cultures are necessary for prepubertal children diagnosed with Neisseria gonorrhoeae, we examined the records of all 66 patients < 10 years old seen at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia over a 7.5-year period (1987-1994) diagnosed with gonorrhea. Ninety-eight percent had genital discharge on examination. All children with genital gonorrhea were symptomatic, but only 10% of children with rectal gonorrhea and 20% with pharyngeal infection were symptomatic. Seventy-seven percent of children were treated with ceftriaxone. Of these, 72% returned for test-of-cure cultures. Ninety-three percent of children had complete resolution of physical symptoms at test-of-cure, and all follow-up cultures were negative for N. gonorrhoeae. Our data suggest that most prepubertal children with gonorrhea are symptomatic at initial presentation and are cured after recommended treatment with ceftriaxone. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for obtaining test-of-cure cultures in young children with gonorrhea are unnecessary, potentially harmful, and should be revised.