Clinical and Microbiological Features of Persistent or Recurrent Nongonococcal Urethritis in Men

Ninety percent and 70% of cases of nongonococcal urethritis associated with C. trachomatis and U. urealyticum , respectively, respond to antibiotic therapy, whereas when neither organism is isolated, > 50% of cases persist or relapse within six weeks of treatment. Overall, 30% of patients treated for nongonococcal urethritis will have persistent or recurrent symptoms. Thus, the authors estimate that some 600,000 men develop the syndrome of persistent or recurrent urethritis annually in the United States. They initiated this study to better define the clinical, epidemiological, and microbiological features of persistent or recurrent nongonococcal urethritis in men.