Table 3 Key research area’s in understanding the clinical and public health impact of extra-genital Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) infections in women and in men who have sex with men (MSM)
Key research area | Knowledge Gap on extra-genital CT and NG infections in women and MSM |
Morbidity | Proctitis in anorectal infections |
| Â | Reproductive morbidity (women) |
Efficacy control strategies: Treatment | Efficacy of treatment for both extra-genital and genital infections and associated factors (including treatment resistance, tissue absorption, duration of treatment to account for CT life cycle phases) |
Efficacy control strategies: Re-testing, partner management | Efficacy of strategies to manage extra-genital infections (including strategies that are already taken to manage genital infections) |
Transmission | Transmission risk between sexual partners and associated factors, such as bacterial load, sexual behavior |
| Â | Self-infection, i.e. transmission risk between anatomic sites within a patient and associated factors, i.e. bacterial load, sexual behavior (women) |
| Â | Role in the transmission of other STI including HIV |
Detection | Microbiologic specifics of a CT - NAAT detection such as bacterial load, viability or other possible markers of transmission or of morbidity |
Testing policy | Cost effectiveness of extra-genital CT and NG testing taking into account the key research area’s of efficacy of extra-genital control-strategies, transmission and morbidity |