Amoebiasis among patrons visiting gay saunas in Taiwan

Aims: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of amoebiasis among patrons visiting gay saunas in Taiwan. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using questionnaire interview and indirect hemagglutination assays and specific Entamoeba histolytica antigen assays of blood and rectal swab specimens, respectively, among patrons visiting 10 gay saunas between September 2006 and December 2006. Results: During the three-month study period, 208 blood and 120 rectal swab specimens were tested for E. histolytica infection. Amoebiasis was detected among 3.8% and 3.3% of the patrons by serologies and antigen assays, respectively. During the latest sexual encounter, more than 70% of the patrons had oral-anogenital sex, and only 20% used condoms during oral-anogenital contact. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that there is a potential risk of E. histolytica transmission among the patrons visiting gay saunas who do not practise safe sex consistently in Taiwan.