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A retrospective study of outcome of partner notification and contact tracing in the cohort of newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS patients seen in the Bure Clinic from 1997 to 2004 was undertaken. There were 17 women, median age (years) 31, range (18–44) and 43 men, median age (years) 37, range (3–61). Self-reported ethnic groups were 17 (28.3%) Africans, two (3.3%) Asians and 41 (68.3%) Caucasians. Partner notification index was 51.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 38.4–64.8%). Africans and Asians (76%) were more likely to bring in their partners than Caucasians (39%) and this was statistically significant (x2 = 8.63, P = 0.01). The Caucasians (61%), who did not bring in their partner, were more likely to be oil workers who had acquired their infection in Africa and Asia (likelihood ratio 11.59, P = 0.02), confirmed by their viral clade. In our cohort, Caucasian heterosexual men, mostly oil workers who acquire their infections elsewhere, contribute to the low partner notification index. To date, non-B clade virus has not been transmitted locally among newly diagnosed patients seen from our low sero-prevalence catchment population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "The contribution of APTIMA Combo 2 assay to the diagnosis of gonorrhoea in genitourinary medicine setting," by Mallinson S Moss in the 2007 issue.