Background
Nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) is a common syndrome with no known etiology in up to 50% of cases. We estimated associations between urethral bacteria and NGU in men who have sex with men (MSM) and men who have sex with women (MSW).
Methods
Urine was collected from NGU cases (129 MSM; 121 MSW) and controls (70 MSM; 114 MSW) attending a Seattle STD clinic. Cases had ≥5 polymorphonuclear leukocytes on Gram stain plus symptoms or discharge; controls had <5 PMNs, no symptoms, no discharge. NGU was considered idiopathic when Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium, Trichomonas vaginalis, adenovirus, and herpes simplex virus were absent. The urethral microbiota was characterized using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Compositional lasso analysis was conducted to identify associations between bacterial taxa and NGU, and to select bacteria for targeted quantitative PCR (qPCR).
Results
Among NGU cases, 45.2% were idiopathic. Based on compositional lasso analysis, we selected Haemophilus influenzae (HI) and Mycoplasma penetrans (MP) for targeted qPCR. Compared to 182 men without NGU, the 249 men with NGU were more likely to have HI (14% vs. 2%) and MP (21% vs. 1%) (both p≤0.001). In stratified analyses, detection of HI was associated with NGU among MSM (12% vs. 3%, p=0.036) and MSW (17% vs. 1%, p<0.001), but MP was associated with NGU only among MSM (13% vs. 1%, p=0.004). Associations were stronger in men with idiopathic NGU.
Conclusions
HI and MP are potential causes of male urethritis. MP was more often detected among MSM than MSW with urethritis.
Key Points
Question
How effective is vaccination against COVID-19 after recovery from prior SARS-CoV-2 infection?
Findings
In this cohort study of more than 95 000 Rhode Island residents from March 2020 to December 2021, including residents and employees of long-term congregate care (LTCC) facilities, completion of the primary vaccination series after recovery from COVID-19 was associated with 49% protection from reinfection among LTCC residents, 47% protection among LTCC employees, and 62% protection in the general population during periods when wild type, Alpha, and Delta strains of SARS-CoV-2 were predominant.
Meaning
These findings suggest that among people who have recovered from COVID-19, subsequent completion of the primary vaccination series reduced the risk of reinfection by approximately half.
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