The polymicrobial origin of intestinal infections in homosexual men.

To determine the microbial cause and the clinical and pathologic correlates of anorectal and intestinal symptoms in homosexually active men, we performed comprehensive microbiologic studies, anoscopy, sigmoid-oscopy, and rectal biopsy in men examined in a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases. Enteric pathogens were found in 95 of 119 consecutive homosexual men with anorectal or intestinal symptoms and in 29 of 75 randomly selected homosexual men without such symptoms (P less than 0.001). The syndromes of proctitis, proctocolitis, and enteritis were differentiated on the basis of predominant symptoms and findings on anoscopy and sigmoidoscopy. Neisseria gonorrhoeae, herpes simplex virus, Chlamydia trachomatis (non-lymphogranuloma venereum serotypes), and Treponema pallidum were associated with 80 per cent of cases with symptomatic proctitis. Known causes of colitis, including Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter fetus fetus, Shigella flexneri, Chl. trachomatis (lymphogranuloma venereum serotypes), Entamoeba histolytica, and Clostridium difficile, were identified in 60 per cent of the cases of proctocolitis. Giardia lamblia was the only agent significantly correlated with enteritis. These data demonstrate that intestinal symptoms in homosexual men are attributable to a complex spectrum of microorganisms, but that careful clinical classification can serve as a guide to the selection of microbiologic studies and to a rational initial choice of therapy.

Herpes simplex virus proctitis in homosexual men. Clinical, sigmoidoscopic, and histopathological features.

Acute herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection was detected in 23 of 102 consecutively examined, sexually active male homosexuals who presented with anorectal pain, discharge, tenesmus, or hematochezia, as compared with 3 of 75 homosexual men without gastrointestinal symptoms (P less than 0.01). Findings that were significantly more frequent in men with HSV proctitis than in men with proctitis due to other infectious causes included fever (48 per cent), difficulty in urinating (48 per cent), sacral paresthesias (26 per cent), inguinal lymphadenopathy (57 per cent), severe anorectal pain (100 per cent), tenesmus (100 per cent), constipation (78 per cent), perianal ulcerations (70 per cent), and the presence of diffuse ulcerative or discrete vesicular or pustular lesions in the distal 5 cm of the rectum (50 per cent). Serologic evidence indicated that 85 per cent of the men with symptomatic HSV proctitis were having their first episode of HSV-2 infection. The diagnosis of HSV proctitis is suggested by the presence of severe anorectal pain, difficulty in urinating, sacral paresthesias or pain, and diffuse ulceration of the distal rectal mucosa.

Rectal mass caused by Treponema pallidum: confirmation by immunofluorescent staining.

A 37-yr-old homosexual man presented with mild anorectal symptoms, a diffuse maculopapular rash, constitutional symptoms, and a reactive serologic test for syphilis. Sigmoidoscopy revealed a 2 x 2-cm indurated rectal mass 5 cm above the anal verge. Darkfield examination of rectal exudate revealed motile treponemes and rectal biopsy of the mass showed diffuse infiltration of plasma cells and lymphocytes. Large numbers of spirochetes were present on silver stain of the rectal biopsy specimen and these were shown to be Treponema pallidum by indirect immunofluorescence. The rectal mass and symptoms resolved following penicillin therapy. This case and a review of previously reported cases of anorectal syphilis emphasize the significance of these often neglected and misdiagnosed lesions of syphilis.

Chlamydia trachomatis proctitis.

One hundreds seventy-one homosexual men, 96 of whom had symptoms suggestive of proctitis and 75 of whom had no such symptoms, were consecutively enrolled in a study of the prevalence, clinical spectrum, and histopathology of Chlamydia trachomatis rectal infections. C. trachomatis was isolated from the rectums of 14 men. Three of the isolates, which had lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) immunotypes, were recovered from three men with symptoms and signs of severe proctitis, two of whom had granulomatous inflammation that was observed at rectal biopsy and was initially suggestive of Crohn's disease. Eleven isolates, which had non-LGV immunotypes, were obtained from eight symptomatic and three asymptomatic men, all of whom had fecal leukocytes and mild abnormalities of the mucosa present at sigmoidoscopy, usually with mild nongranulomatous inflammatory changes that were seen on rectal biopsy. These observations suggest that the presence of LGV immunotypes of C. trachomatis in the rectum is associated with severe acute proctitis that mimics Crohn's disease of the rectum, whereas the non-LGV immunotypes are associated with a mild proctitis with or without symptoms.