ABSTRACT
The term “gay bowel syndrome” was coined in 1976 by Kazal and colleagues who had established a large proctologic practice among gay men. The gay bowel syndrome now included the classical sexually transmitted infectious diseases as well as a wide variety of traditional enteric infections. It is more commonly described in heterosexual patients in the developing world then in gay men, emphasizing the minor contribution of Salmonella to the gay bowel syndrome. Giardiasis was one of the earliest recognized causes of enteritis in gay men which was discovered when disproportionate number of cases occurred in single men in New York who had not traveled. Examination of a diarrheal stool is also an important component of the laboratory diagnosis for the gay bowel syndrome. Serologic studies for the LGV serovars of C. trachomatis should be carried out in patients with proctocolitis.
