We conducted a community-based study of the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases in rural and periurban communities in Eastern Highlands Province. We interviewed a stratified random sample of women and men, examined the women for evidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and collected specimens for diagnosis of syphilis, by serology and dark-field microscopy, gonorrhoea, by Gram stain and culture, chlamydial infection, by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct immunofluorescence (DIF), trichomoniasis, by wet mount, and bacterial vaginosis, by wet mount and Gram stain. The men were tested for chlamydial infection only (first void urine tested by PCR and DIF). 201 women and 169 men were tested. Additionally, adults in the same communities who had not been randomly selected were offered the same services. An extra 243 women and 85 men were tested in this way. The laboratory results confirmed the clinical impression of an extremely high prevalence of STDs in this population. Among those randomly selected, 46% of the women had trichomonal vaginal infections and 26% had Chlamydia trachomatis infections detected by PCR, while 25% of the men had chlamydial infections. Other infections were much less common. 58% had one or more STDs. The prevalence of infection in self-selected adults was similar to that found in those randomly selected.
Chlamydia Infections - diagnosis ; Chlamydia Infections - epidemiology ; Data Collection ; Papua New Guinea - epidemiology ; Prevalence ; Rural Population ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases - epidemiology ; Trichomonas Vaginitis - diagnosis

From 1985 to 1987, Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates were collected from children under 5 years of age in the Asaro Valley, Papua New Guinea as part of a study on bacterial colonization and respiratory tract infections. Data on serogroup and colony morphology were collected to survey serogroups and associated colony morphologies present in the area and to assess whether colony morphology can be indicative of serogroup. In total, 5989 colonies were examined; serogroups 6, 10, 14, 15, 19, 23, 33, 34, 35 and nonserotypeable strains were the most common and accounted for 77% of all the colonies, with serogroups 6, 19 and 23 accounting for 48%. The majority of colonies displayed the typical draughtsman morphology, though serogroup 10 and non-serotypeable isolates most often displayed a raised colony morphology. Of the 15 mucoid colonies identified 73% were serotype 3, though only 29% of serotype 3 isolates were mucoid. Thus colony morphology is of limited value in identifying the pneumococcal serogroup/serotype apart from mucoid colonies, which are likely to be serotype 3.