Sexually transmitted diseases
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Multicenter Study
High annual syphilis testing rates among gay men in Australia, but insufficient retesting.
Since 2000, infectious syphilis notifications have increased substantially among Australian gay men. We describe testing at a frequency lower than guidelines recommend. ⋯ Our analysis showed high lifetime and annual syphilis testing rates in Australian gay men, but low retesting rates. We identified factors associated with less frequent syphilis testing rates among Australian gay men to assist in developing targeted screening strategies.
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Implementing national recommendations for syphilis screening is not feasible in the emergency department (ED) setting. The purpose of this study was to determine the syphilis screening rate among ED patients tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia (GC/CT) and the syphilis prevalence among those who were tested. ⋯ Among ED patients tested for GC/CT, less than one-third were screened for syphilis. Failure to screen these patients likely resulted in missed opportunities for syphilis diagnosis.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Prevalence and risk factors associated with herpes simplex virus-2 infection in a contemporary cohort of HIV-infected persons in the United States.
We compared the herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) seroprevalence in a contemporary HIV cohort with the general US population and determined risk factors for HSV-2 infection among HIV-infected persons. ⋯ HSV-2 seroprevalence is 3 times as high among HIV-infected adults as in the general U.S. population. Clinicians should be aware that increased risk for HSV-2 infection was distributed broadly among HIV-infected persons and not limited to those with high-risk sexual behaviors.
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We sought to determine the prevalence of infection with Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis, Mycoplasma genitalium, syphilis, and HIV among African American women who have sex with women (AAWSW), and compare sociodemographics, sexual risk behavior characteristics, and STI diagnoses among women reporting sex exclusively with women (exclusive AAWSW) to women reporting sex with both women and men (AAWSWM) during the past 12 months. ⋯ AAWSW in this study were at high risk for STI. AAWSWM, as a subgroup, may demonstrate heightened sexual risk-taking behaviors and higher STI rates compared with exclusive AAWSW. Sexual health services provided to AAWSW should take into account partner gender heterogeneity when counseling and screening for STI.
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Despite antiretroviral therapy (ART), incident human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continues to rise, and sexually transmitted infections (STI) are well known for their part in HIV transmission. National guidelines recommend routine STI screening in HIV-positive individuals, but despite this, reported uptake remains low. ⋯ These findings highlight the need for the introduction of similar screening approaches in HIV clinics. Self-collected specimens using sensitive and specific GC and CT nucleic acid amplification tests are a convenient and acceptable way of testing, and it may address some of the barriers to screening in this population.