Abstract

Sixty-six circumcised men and 69 uncircumcised men, both heterosexual and homosexual, had specimens taken from the coronal sulcus and meatus of the penis. Yeasts were isolated at similar rates in both the circumcised (14%) and uncircumcised (17%) men. The circumcised men had significantly fewer symptoms (P = 0-0058). Therefore the female partners of both circumcised and uncircumcised men are exposed to similar rates of yeast infection despite the absence of symptoms in circumcised men. Eighty per cent of the female contacts of yeast-positive men had yeast infection while 32% of the contacts of yeast-negative men were affected. This difference was statistically significant (0-05 greater than P greater than 0-025). Men with non-specific genital infection seemed more likely to carry yeasts than men with gonorrhoea or normal men.