taken.' They also, however, noted a rise in the number of cases of homosexually acquired gonorrhoea in 1990, with a rate of rectal infection of 6 9%. In the three genitourinary medicine clinics in Riverside Health Authority 59 episodes of confirmed anorectal gonococcal infection occurred in 57 homosexual or bisexual men attending between 30 March and 8 October this year. Of these 57 men, 17 were known to be HIV seropositive and 19 HIV seronegative and 21 were untested for HIV antibodies. Thus while the rate of detection of rectal gonorrhoea in homosexual and bisexual men attending genitourinary medicine departments in this area is much lower than in the era before AIDS, there are no grounds for complacency as these men, regardless of their HIV status, are presumably continuing to have unprotected anal sex or failure of barrier methods.