Gonorrhea prevalence and coinfection with chlamydia in women in the United States, 2000

BACKGROUND: No recent national data address the prevalence of gonorrhea. GOAL: The goal was to describe gonorrhea prevalence and chlamydial coinfection among women aged 15 to 24 years. STUDY DESIGN: Data were analyzed from tests for chlamydia and gonorrhea at family planning, STD, and prenatal clinics in 2000. Gonorrhea positivity, chlamydia positivity among women with gonorrhea, and the median and interquartile ranges (IQRs) were calculated. RESULTS: The median state-specific gonorrhea positivity among women aged 15 to 24 years was 0.9% (IQR, 0.7%-1.7%) in family planning clinics, 7.0% (IQR, 4.1%-10.4%) in STD clinics, and 1.0% (IQR, 0.8%-1.6%) in prenatal clinics. Gonorrhea positivity was higher among females aged 15 to 19 years than among those aged 20 to 24 years. Median chlamydia positivity for females infected with gonorrhea was highest among those aged 15 to 19 years (46%). CONCLUSIONS: Gonorrhea positivity was consistently highest among women aged 15 to 19 years; almost half of women aged 15 to 19 years with gonorrhea also had chlamydia.