Rare Infection Spreading Among Gay Men

Rare Infection Spreading Among Gay Men
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

Posted: October 28, 2004 8:05 pm ET

(Atlanta, Georgia) Most gay men have never heard of Lymphogranuloma venereum, or LGV, but it is spreading in gay communities across Europe and the Centers for Disease Control warns it is heading to North America.

LGV is usually associated with chlamydia but the CDC said that this new strain, showing up in men who have sex with men, is marked by gastrointestinal bleeding, inflammation of the rectum and colon, genital ulcers, swollen lymph glands, and flu-like symptoms.

Cases have been reported in The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Sweden and the UK. In The Netherlands, heath authorities have reported 92 cases of LGV in the past 12 months. The country usually sees fewer than five cases per year.

Complicating the situation is general ignorance of the disease in the medical community because it is uncommon in industrialized nations and easily misdiagnosed.

Many of those diagnosed in Europe, the CDC said, were gay men who had engaged in risky sex.

Efforts to combat the disease also are complicated by the tendency of some gay and bisexual men to engage in high-risk sexual behavior.

The CDC is urging doctors across the country to be prepared for an onslaught of cases of LGV. If correctly diagnosed, the disease can be cured by a three-week course of antibiotics. Untreated it could be fatal.

Dr. Stuart Berman, chief of the epidemiology and surveillance branch in the CDC's division of STD prevention said that it is only a matter of time before LGV enters the US.