What is Missing in STD Screening in Hong Kong?

Abstract

This retrospective analysis was to study the prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) in a Reproductive Medical Center in Hong Kong. A total of 1190 patients were included in this study. Group 1A, couples had no symptoms but presented with subinfertility; Group 1B, the subfertile couples were positive for either Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) or Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU); Group 2, couples with symptoms were offered full STD screening including CT, UU, Mycoplasma hominis (MH), Neisseria gonorrhoea (NG), Syphilis, Herpes Simplex Virus 1 and 2. The methods of ELISA and quantitative real-time PCR were used for these analyses. Group 1A: UU detection rates in both male and female (13.84 v.s. 37.07%) were significantly higher than that of CT (5.65 v.s. 5.57%); Group 1B and Group 2: For those who had Full STD check, UU and MH detection rates were significantly higher than that of CT (35, 13.7 and 7.1% respectively). Over 47% of patients showed positive for one or more organism. In the subfertile couples, the UU and CT detection rates were much higher in females than those in males. Both semen and urine samples gave the same rates of infection among CT, UU, NG and MH. U. urealyticum infection rate rather than Chlamydis trachomatis infection is highest in Hong Kong. The infection rate in females is higher than in males. The detection rates in semen and urine samples in males are similar.