Mucopurulent Cervicitis (MPC) 1990 Case Definition

NOTE: A surveillance case definition is a set of uniform criteria used to define a disease for public health surveillance. Surveillance case definitions enable public health officials to classify and count cases consistently across reporting jurisdictions. Surveillance case definitions are not intended to be used by healthcare providers for making a clinical diagnosis or determining how to meet an individual patient’s health needs.

Clinical Description

Cervical inflammation that is not the result of infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae or Trichomonas vaginalis. Cervical inflammation is defined by the presence of one of the following criteria:

Mucopurulent secretion (from the endocervix) that is yellow or green when viewed on a white, cotton-tipped swab (positive swab test)
Induced endocervical bleeding (bleeding when the first swab is placed in the endocervix)

Laboratory Criteria For Diagnosis

No evidence of N. gonorrhoeae by culture, Gram stain, and no evidence of T. vaginalis on wet mount

Case Classification

Confirmed

A clinically compatible case in a female for whom gonorrhea and trichomoniasis infection are not found

Comments

Mucopurulent cervicitis (MPC) is a clinical diagnosis of exclusion. The syndrome may result from infection with any of several agents (see Chlamydia trachomatis, Genital Infection). If gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, and chlamydia are excluded, a clinically compatible illness should be classified as MPC and Chlamydia trachomatis infection should be classified as chlamydia.

Related Case Definition(s)

Mucopurulent Cervicitis (MPC) | 1996 Case Definition

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Last Reviewed: April 16, 2021

Source: Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology