Background/introduction Young persons with a previous history of genital chlamydia are more likely to retest positive at a later date than those that have never tested positive. Current recommendations advise offering a repeat NAAT test to individuals under the age of 25, three months after completing treatment. However, a recall system has yet to be implemented in our clinic.

Objectives We examined how many young people treated for genital chlamydia voluntarily returned for a further test, to assess whether asymptomatic retesting is both acceptable and worthwhile in this group. We aimed to identify a suitable timeframe in which retesting should be offered.

Methods Retrospective case note review of individuals under 25 years who tested positive for genital chlamydia in a city wide sexual health service in January 2013.

Results Of 214 individuals testing positive for genital chlamydia in January 2013, 50% (107/214) retested within 15 months, 29% of which were positive (31/214). Most young people returned 3 to 6 months following their initial diagnosis (37/107), but the highest number of positive results occurred between 7 and 9 months (10/31). Only 8 individuals (7.5%) were retested between 10 and 12 months, though a significant proportion (25%) retested positive.

Conclusion The high rate of young people returning for chlamydia retesting after a positive diagnosis indicates that retesting is acceptable within this group. The high rate of subsequent positive tests suggests that retesting is important and worthwhile. The ideal timeframe to retest these individuals is 3–12 months following a positive test.