NONGONOCOCCAL URETHRITIS (NGU): WHAT IS IT?
Nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) is a urethral infection in men that is sexually transmitted and is not caused by gonorrhea. It can be caused by several organisms, including Chlamydia trachomatis (in 23-55% of men with NGU), Ureaplasma urealyticum (20-40%), and Trichomonas vaginalis (2-5%). It can also, rarely, be caused by the herpes simplex virus, as well as other bacteria or viruses. (See the sections on chlamydia infection, trichomonas infection, and herpes for more information.) Men who perform anal sex on partners may develop urethral infections from the bacteria that are normally found in stool. NGU, therefore, is not a specific “bug,” but rather a syndrome with several possible causes. Before many of the specific organisms that cause this infection were identified, it was also known as nonspecific urethritis.
HOW COMMON IS IT? NGU is the most common problem for which men seek help in sexually transmitted disease clinics. It is estimated that four to six million men in the United States are infected with NGU each year. Men of any age can become infected, although NGU is most often diagnosed in younger men (those in their teens to twenties) who are more sexually active and less likely to be following safer sex practices. A man can be infected and not know it.
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