Asymptomatic gonorrhea: prevalence in a population of urban adolescents

During a 12-month period, 2,672 sexually active youths, 12 to 16 years of age, had genital bacteriologic cultures for Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Anterior urethral cultures were obtained from 2,098 males of whom 2,064 had no symptoms or signs of genitourinary disease. Forty cultures (1.9%) were positive for gonorrhea. Of 574 females, 374 were asymptomatic and 26 (7.0%) had positive gonorrhea cultures from the cervix. Since adolescent boys are more likely to be sexual adventurers, the 1.9% carrier rate represents an important reservoir of gonorrhea and equal in importance to that found in the asymptomatic adolescent girl.