Sexually transmitted infections

Women are biologically more susceptible to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted Infections (STIs) because receptive sex is riskier than insertive. Despite condom use being the staple preventive method for HIV infection (over 80% efficacy), in Sub-Saharan African countries like Burkina Faso, a high burden of HIV and the unmet need for condom use coexist. Moreover, even though women in SSA are disproportionately HIV positive, they are reportedly less capable of negotiating condom use for HIV risk reduction...

Long-acting injectable (LAI) antiretroviral therapy (ART) has the potential to change the lives of people living with HIV (PLWH). To ensure equitable access to new treatment modalities, we examined the feasibility and acceptability of administering Cabotegravir Rilpivirine Long Acting (CAB/RPV LA) to individuals who experience challenging social determinants of health (SDoH) and struggle with adherence to traditional oral ART. Quantitative and qualitative data were used to assess feasibility of utilizing ART at alternative clinic...

BACKGROUND: Research has shown that heterosexual African American male individuals aged 18-24 years have a higher prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior. There is a critical need to promote sexual reproductive health (SRH) services among this population, especially in urban settings. Young African American male individuals use social media platforms to access health information, showcasing the potential of social media and web-based links as tools to leverage electronic engagement with this population to promote SRH care...

Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective, user-controlled method for HIV prevention. However, awareness, uptake, and adherence to PrEP remain low among cisgender women (CGW). The prenatal and postpartum periods present an opportunity for delivery of comprehensive sexual health services that include HIV prevention education and services. However, little is known about postpartum CGW's attitudes toward integration of HIV prevention education and services into obstetric care in the US. We conducted semistructured interviews with 20 postpartum CGW in the Bronx, NY from July to November 2022 to explore their experiences with prenatal and postpartum sexual health care, examine their attitudes toward integration of HIV prevention services into obstetric sexual health care, and identify components of future implementation strategies...

Doxycycline postexposure prophylaxis (doxy-PEP) reduces sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW). In a clinical trial of doxy-PEP, we sought to assess acceptability, impact, and meaning of doxy-PEP use among MSM/TGW. We conducted semistructured, in-depth 1:1 interviews with MSM and TGW enrolled in the intervention arm of the Doxy-PEP study. We queried motivations for and meaning of use, attitudes, beliefs, adherence, effect on sexual behaviors, and partner, community, and structural factors related to use...

Following the World Health Organization's guidelines for rapid antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation [≤7 days after human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnosis], China implemented Treat-All in 2016 and has made significant efforts to provide timely ART since 2017. This study included newly diagnosed HIV adults from Tianjin, China, between 2016 and 2022. Our primary outcome was loss to follow-up (LTFU) at 12 months after enrollment. The secondary outcome was 12-month virological failure. The association between rapid ART and LTFU, as well as virological failure, was assessed via Cox regression and logistic regression...

The introduction of injectable HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has the potential to significantly change the biomedical HIV prevention landscape. However, effective implementation will require health care providers to adopt, prescribe, and administer injectable PrEP within clinical settings. This study qualitatively examined challenges and benefit of injectable PrEP implementation from the perspective of health care providers. From April to August 2022, we conducted 19 in-depth interviews with current PrEP-prescribing health care providers in New York State, including 3 physician assistants, 5 physicians, and 11 nurse practitioners...

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BACKGROUND: Trichomoniasis is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide. The growing concern of drug resistance of this infection has cautioned the need for new drug development. We evaluated the potential antiproliferative and apoptotic effect of α-pinene and tannic acid (TA) on Trichomonas vaginalis cells. In addition, the cytotoxicity of agents on Vero cells was investigated. METHODS: Trichomonas cells were axenically cultured in TYI-S-33 medium...

OBJECTIVE: We report the prevalence, characteristics and clinical outcomes of women with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in pregnancy in the Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) serving a large culturally and socio-economically diverse community in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, over the last 10 years. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of all pregnant women booked for antenatal care at three hospitals in WSLHD between September 2012 and August 2022 inclusive...

Mpox is a zoonotic disease historically reported in Africa. Since 2003, limited outbreaks have occurred outside Africa. In 2022, the global spread of cases with sustained interhuman transmission and unusual disease features raised public health concerns. We explore the mpox outbreak in Rio de Janeiro (RJ) state, Brazil, in an observational study of mpox-suspected cases from June to December 2022. Data collection relied on a public healthcare notification form. Diagnosis was determined by MPXV-PCR. In 46 confirmed cases, anti-OPXV IgG was determined by ELISA, and seven MPXV genomes were sequenced...

BACKGROUND: Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) infections are a major public health problem, necessitating the administration of polymyxin E (colistin) as a last-line antibiotic. Meanwhile, the mortality rate associated with colistin-resistant K. pneumoniae infections is seriously increasing. On the other hand, importance of administration of carbapenems in promoting colistin resistance in K. pneumoniae is unknown. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of K...

BACKGROUND: Vaccination is effective in preventing viral respiratory infectious diseases through protective antibodies and the gut microbiome has been proven to regulate human immunity. This study explores the causal correlations between gut microbial features and serum-specific antiviral immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels. METHODS: We conduct a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary data to explore the causal relationships between 412 gut microbial features and four antiviral IgG (for influenza A, measles, rubella, and mumps) levels...

BACKGROUND: The problem of resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics, which is caused by ESBL and AmpC β-lactamases, is getting worse globally. Infections caused by bacterial isolates harboring these enzymes are difficult to treat with carbapenems being the sole effective treatment option for such infections. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of ESBLs and AmpC-producing Gram-negative bacilli isolated from clinical specimens and to evaluate the sensitivity of cefepime-tazobactam combination against them...

BACKGROUND: Infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the more common sexually transmitted diseases in Germany. Vaccination against HPV was introduced in Germany in 2007. In this study, we sought to detect a population-based decline in the incidence of cervical cancer in women under age 30 who were eligible for vaccination in the first 11 years after its introduction. METHODS: Data on new diagnoses of HPV-associated cervical cancer from 2004 to 2018 were obtained from the cancer registries of the German federal states (Bundesländer) through the German Center for Cancer Registry Data (ZfKD)...

Dear Editor, Ticks carry many diseases, bacteria, and viruses and represent a very important healthcare issue both in Croatia and globally. Although most ticks are not infected with pathogens dangerous to humans, some ticks can transmit infectious diseases with significant morbidity and mortality. This is caused by the increasing incidence of many tick-borne diseases over a growing geographical area. Many factors influence which species of ticks are present in a given geographical area, as well as the density of their population and the risk of human exposure to infected ticks...

BACKGROUND: Despite the legal acceptance of homosexuality in India, it remains a social taboo, resulting in various challenges being faced by homosexual males. These challenges mainly include issues such as addiction/drug use and inconsistent and/ or incorrect condom usage which increase the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV among them. This study was thus conducted with the objective of studying the patterns of addiction/drug use and condom usage among homosexual males...

Cat scratch disease (CSD) is caused by Bartonella henselae (B. henselae) and presents as lymphadenopathy following close contact with cats. However, in context of the global COVID-19 pandemic, clinical manifestations of CSD may vary, posing new challenges for healthcare professionals. Here we describe a case of a 54-year-old male with painful left upper arm mass, which gradually resolved until he was infected with COVID-19. The mass then rapidly progressed before admission. Meanwhile, pulmonary symptoms including pleural effusion emerged simultaneously...

BACKGROUND: Necrotising fasciitis (NF) is a life-threatening soft-tissue infection that rapidly destroys the epidermis, subcutaneous tissue, and fascia. Despite their low virulence, Lactobacillus spp. can cause NF, and because of its rare incidence, there is limited information about its molecular and clinicopathological characteristics. We report a rare case of NF in a patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus diagnosed on admission and severe obesity due to infection with two types of Lactobacillus spp...

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has been shown to increase the risk of extracorporeal coagulation during hemodialysis in patients, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect and mechanism of COVID-19 on the risk of extracorporeal coagulation in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the extracorporeal coagulation status of 339 hemodialysis patients at our center before and after COVID-19 infection was performed, including subgroup analyses...