Disseminated gonorrhea: diagnosis through contact tracing

Abstract

Over a 1-year period four patients were seen at the Jewish General Hospital with presumed disseminated gonococcemia. The patients' histories, clinical findings and responses to therapy strongly supported this diagnosis; however, cultures from various sites were negative for Neisseria gonorrhoeae in all four patients. Sexual contacts of these patients were traced and appropriate cultures were found to be positive, demonstrating the importance of tracing sexual contacts to help confirm the diagnosis in such patients.