Contact-tracing outcomes among male syphilis patients in Fulton County, Georgia, 2003

OBJECTIVES: Contact tracing may be less effective in populations with casual sex partners such as male syphilis patients who report sex with men; this opinion is widely held, but few quantitative comparisons are available. GOAL: The goal of this study was to compare contact-tracing outcomes among male syphilis patients reporting sex with men (MSM) or with women only (MSWO). STUDY DESIGN: The authors conducted a record review of cases of early syphilis among MSM and MSWO comparing contact-tracing outcomes. RESULTS: Interviews of MSM case-patients resulted in higher mean numbers of contacts named and located per case than interviews of MSWO. Mean numbers of contacts of MSM and MSWO diagnosed with syphilis per case were not significantly different. The mean number of unlocatable sex partners per case was slightly higher for MSM than MSWO. CONCLUSION: This study comparing contact tracing by the same trained health department personnel demonstrated that outcomes of contact tracing were similar for MSM and MSWO.