Objective

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Herpes Simple-2 virus (HSV-2) and N. gonorrhoeae (NG), and the risk factors related to the infection in a group of college students in the city of Medellín, Colombia.

Methods

A descriptive study was carried out in a group of 323 university students. Through an online form, the risk factors and symptoms related to sexually transmitted infection (STI) were reported, and then the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies for CT and HSV-2 was determined, and RT-PCR testing was performed to detect NG and CT.

Results

13% was the IgG frequency for CT while 11.9% was for IgM. The frequency for IgG for VHS-2 was 11.8 while the frequencies determined by RT-PCR for CT and NG were 1.5% and 0.0% respectively. The risk factors most commonly associated were active sex life, 96.9%, and random use of condom, 75.2%. It was also found that 13.6% of the students had genital secretions, 2.8% had ulcers, 5.3% had genital warts, 4.6% had blisters, 15.5% had dysuria, and 18.9% had a previous STI diagnosis.

Conclusions

CT and HVS-2 were found among college students, besides a series of risk factors associated with STI. It is recomended to improve prevention and diagnosis campaigns among young college students.