Neisseria gonorrhoeae prevalence in females in São Paulo, Brazil: surveillance of the infection over a 11-year period

Objectives The prevalence of infection by Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the second highest among bacterial sexually transmitted infections worldwide. It can lead to severe complications, especially in the female reproductive system. So, the objective of the present study was to assess the prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection in a large population of female patients from a private health service in São Paulo (Brazil), thereby identifying the main age groups affected by the agent and how prevalence progressed over time. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted based on the results of all molecular biology tests performed for detecting Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The tests were conducted between January 2005 and December 2015. Positive test results were grouped by year and age group. Results Of those tests, 35,886 were considered eligible for the statistical data. The overall prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection in the study population was 0.4%. A higher prevalence of infection was observed in the group whose participants’ age was ≤ 25 years, at a rate of 0.6%. There was no significant increase or decrease in the number of positive test results over time. The prevalence of the infection in those aged between 10 and 19 years, 20–29 years, 30–39 years, 40–49 years, 50–59 years, and 60 years or above was respectively 0.87%, 0.50%, 0.36%, 0.22%, 0.17%, and 0.26%. Conclusion The screening of asymptomatic young women would have the potential to reduce infection, transmission, and sequelae of infection by this agent.