Journal article
Differing Neisseria gonorrhoeae Bacterial Loads in the Pharynx and Rectum in Men Who Have Sex with Men: Implications for Gonococcal Detection, Transmission, and Control
M Bissessor, SN Tabrizi, CK Fairley, J Danielewski, B Whitton, S Bird, S Garland, MY Chen
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY | AMER SOC MICROBIOLOGY | Published : 2011
DOI: 10.1128/JCM.05341-11
Abstract
The bacterial loads for gonococcal infections of the pharynx and rectum were determined among men with male sexual partners. The median bacterial load for rectal infections (18,960 copies/swab) was significantly higher than the load for pharyngeal infections (2,100 copies/swab; P = 0.001). Bacterial loads among men with symptomatic proctitis were strikingly high (median, 278,000 copies/swab).