These guidelines for the treatment of persons who have or are at risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were updated by CDC after consultation with a group of professionals knowledgeable in the field of STDs who met in Atlanta on April 30-May 2, 2013. The information in this report updates the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines, 2010 (MMWR Recomm Rep 2010;59 [No. RR-12]). These updated guidelines discuss 1) alternative treatment regimens for Neisseria gonorrhoeae; 2) the use of nucleic acid amplification tests for the diagnosis of trichomoniasis; 3) alternative treatment options for genital warts; 4) the role of Mycoplasma genitalium in urethritis/cervicitis and treatment-related implications; 5) updated HPV vaccine recommendations and counseling messages; 6) the management of persons who are transgender; 7) annual testing for hepatitis C in persons with HIV infection; 8) updated recommendations for diagnostic evaluation of urethritis; and 9) retesting to detect repeat infection. Physicians and other health-care providers can use these guidelines to assist in the prevention and treatment of STDs.

Resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to antimicrobial agents continues to spread and intensify. Choosing an antimicrobial regimen requires knowledge of the comparative efficacy of candidate regimens, as delineated in properly conducted clinical trials; their activity against N. gonorrhoeae in vitro; and their pharmacokinetics and toxicity. We tabulated the results of trials of single-dose antimicrobial therapy for uncomplicated gonococcal infection published after 1980. Thirty regimens comprising 21 antimicrobial drugs have been shown to be highly effective for rectal and urogenital infections; the agents involved are cefixime, cefodizime, cefotaxime, cefoxitin, ceftizoxime, ceftriaxone, cefuroxime, cefuroxime axetil, ciprofloxacin, fleroxacin, norfloxacin, ofloxacin, pefloxacin, temafloxacin, azithromycin, aztreonam, netilmicin, rifampin plus erythromycin stearate, sisomicin, and spectinomycin. Few regimens have been shown to be highly effective against pharyngeal infections. Among those antimicrobial agents available for the treatment of uncomplicated gonococcal infections in the United States, ceftriaxone (125 mg), cefixime (400 mg), ciprofloxacin (500 mg), and ofloxacin (400 mg) appear to offer the best balance of proven efficacy and safety.

A survey of the sexual behaviour of gonorrhoea patients in Newark was undertaken to evaluate parameters within a model of gonorrhoea transmission. Modelling work aimed to explain observed epidemiological patterns and to explore the potential impact of interventions. Reported behaviours, along with values derived from the literature, were used within a standard deterministic model of gonorrhoea transmission, where the population was stratified according to sex and rates of sex-partner change. The behaviours reported, particularly among women, are insufficient by themselves to explain the continued existence of gonorrhoea within the population. The majority of symptomatic patients seek treatment within a few days, and report that they do not have unprotected sex while symptomatic. The proportion of patients with low numbers of sex partners suggests that sexual mixing between people categorized according to sexual behaviour is near random. To explain the persistence of gonorrhoea, there must be some patients who, when infected, do not seek care in public clinics. In addition, gonorrhoea incidence in the model is sensitive to change, such that very small reductions in risk behaviour could lead to its elimination. This does not accord with the observed failure of many interventions to eliminate infection, suggesting that the modelled infection is too sensitive to change. The model, which has been influential in gonorrhoea epidemiology, is not consistent with the observed epidemiology of gonorrhoea in populations. Alternative models need to explore the observed stability of gonorrhoea before robust modelling conclusions can be drawn on how best to control infection. However, the current results do highlight the potential importance of asymptomatic infections and infections in those who are diseased and do not attend public health services. Screening and contact-tracing to identify asymptomatic infections in both men and women will be more effective in reaching those who maintain the infection within the community rather than simply treating symptomatic cases.

To assess associations of nonulcerative sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-susceptible leukocytes on female genital mucosa, cervicovaginal specimens from 32 HIV-negative STD clinic patients with gonorrhea, chlamydial infection, or trichomoniasis were compared with specimens from 32 clinic patients without these infections. Twenty-eight patients had single infections (15 gonorrhea, 10 chlamydial infection, 3 trichomoniasis), and 4 had dual infections. A saline vaginal wash and saline suspensions of vaginal wall scrapings, ectocervical scrapings, and endocervical brushings were analyzed by flow cytometry. Specimens from the endocervix had the highest proportions of lymphocytes, monocytes, and Langerhans' cells. The median number of endocervical CD4 lymphocytes/10,000 cells was greater among patients with STDs than among those without (476 vs. 245; P < .001). These data suggest that the endocervix may have a particularly important role in heterosexual HIV transmission and that nonulcerative STDs may facilitate HIV transmission by increasing the presence of CD4 lymphocytes at this site.