Self-Reported Extragenital Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Testing in the Past 12 Months Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in the United States-American Men's Internet Survey, 2017.

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Alex de Voux, Emory University; Kyle Bernstein, Emory University; Robert D. Kirkcaldy, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Maria Zlotorzynska, Emory University; Travis Sanchez, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2019-09
• Publisher: Wolters Kluwer
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2019 American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001032
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Volume: 46
• Issue: 9
• Start Page: 563
• End Page: 570
• Grant/Funding Information: The data for this analysis were collected through funding received from the National Institutes of Health (Emory Center for AIDS Research, P30AI050409) and the MAC AIDS Fund.
• Keywords: Adolescent; Surveys and Questionnaires; Adult; Sexual and Gender Minorities; Young Adult; Male; Rectum; United States; Homosexuality, Male; Gonorrhea; Internet; Self Report; Pharynx; Cross-Sectional Studies; Chlamydia Infections; Prevalence; Humans
• Research Categories: Biology, Virology; Health Sciences, Epidemiology; Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

Background Current guidelines recommend that sexually active men who have sex with men (MSM) be screened at least annually for bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at sites of sexual contact regardless of condom use. Extragenital (rectal and pharyngeal) STI are common in MSM and associated with an increased risk of HIV. We describe the prevalence of MSM who reported any STI test and an extragenital STI test in the past 12 months (p12m) in the United States. Methods Data were obtained from the 2017 American Men’s Internet Survey (AMIS), an annual cross-sectional behavioral internet survey of MSM in the United States. We examined the prevalence of MSM who reported any STI test and an extragenital STI test in the p12m and compared the prevalence across demographic, clinical, and behavioral factors. Results Of 10, 049 sexually-active MSM who participated in AMIS 2017, 42% reported any STI test in the p12m and 16% reported an extragenital (rectal or pharyngeal) STI test in the p12m. Among those who reported getting an extragenital STI test in the p12m, 19% reported providing a throat swab only, 14% reported providing a rectal swab only, and 68% reported providing both a rectal and throat swab for STI testing. Conclusion In a large sample of internet-using MSM in the United States, levels of STI screening were sub-optimal, with fewer than half (42%) of MSM reporting any STI test and even fewer reporting an extragenital STI test in the p12m. Increased efforts are needed to ensure annual STI screening guidelines among MSM are implemented.