Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Xueying Yu, Peizhen Zhao, Zhida Mai, Qingqing Xu, Wentao Chen, Zhiqiao Wu, Xiaojuan Luo, Zhizhou Wu, Xiaofeng Liu, Qian Wu, Heping Zheng, Yaohua Xue
Summary: This study investigated the predictive value of leukocyte esterase test (LET) for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) infection in men attending HIV and sexually transmitted infection clinics in Guangdong Province, China. The results showed that LET can be used to predict CT and NG infections and is cost-effective.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
P. Nadal-Baron, P. Salmeron, J. N. Garcia, J. Trejo-Zahinos, E. Sulleiro, L. Lopez, C. Jimenez de Egea, F. Zarzuela, E. Ruiz, A. Blanco-Grau, M. Llinas, M. J. Barbera, M. N. Larrosa, T. Pumarola, Y. Hoyos-Mallecot
Summary: The aim of this study was to evaluate the recovery rates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in asymptomatic individuals. The study found that the recovery rate of the bacteria was unacceptably low, particularly for pharyngeal infections.
LETTERS IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
David C. Alexander, Robert M. Taylor, Irene Martin, Heather Adam, Philippe Lagace-Wiens, Peter Pieroni, James A. Karlowsky, Paul Van Caeseele
Summary: This study compared the performance of microscopy, culture, and the Hologic Aptima Combo 2 (AC2) assay for detecting Neisseria gonorrhoeae in joint fluid specimens. The results showed that AC2 was more sensitive than culture for diagnosing gonococcal arthritis.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Sara Morselli, Valeria Gaspari, Alessia Cantiani, Melissa Salvo, Claudio Foschi, Tiziana Lazzarotto, Antonella Marangoni
Summary: The study found a negative association between Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in a cohort of men having sex with men, with meningococcal carriage being more common in younger individuals.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Christophe Van Dijck, Achilleas Tsoumanis, Anke Rotsaert, Bea Vuylsteke, Dorien Van den Bossche, Elke Paeleman, Irith De Baetselier, Isabel Brosius, Jolein Laumen, Jozefien Buyze, Kristien Wouters, Lutgarde Lynen, Marjan Van Esbroeck, Natacha Herssens, Said Abdellati, Steven Declercq, Thijs Reyniers, Yven Van Herrewege, Eric Florence, Chris Kenyon
Summary: The study aimed to evaluate the use of Listerine mouthwash in reducing bacterial sexually transmitted infections among HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) users. Results showed that Listerine did not significantly reduce the incidence of STIs in this population.
LANCET INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Bjorn Herrmann, Karin Malm
Summary: The performance of the new Abbott Alinity m STI Assay was compared with Abbott m2000 RealTime PCR, showing similar positivity rates for Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Mycoplasma genitalium. The Alinity assay demonstrated at least equivalent sensitivity to the m2000 assay, with specificity evaluated through discrepancy analysis.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Mengnan Fan, Jianru Yang, Xiaosu Wang, Yongjie Xu, Bing Li, Hui Yang, Qin Lu, Xun Min, Meirong Huang, Jian Huang
Summary: Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the only pathogen that causes gonorrhea. A developed detection method based on recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) can eliminate false-positive signals and has the advantages of rapid performance, high sensitivity, and minimal dependency on equipment.
ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Takahiro Aoki, Daisuke Mizushima, Misao Takano, Naokatsu Ando, Haruka Uemura, Yasuaki Yanagawa, Koji Watanabe, Hiroyuki Gatanaga, Yoshimi Kikuchi, Shinichi Oka
Summary: The study found that high-dose ceftriaxone monotherapy is as effective as dual therapy for extragenital Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection among men who have sex with men, with no significant difference in efficacy between the two treatment groups.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nicole Hasick, Ryung Rae Kim, Yin Xu, Simon Bone, Andrea Lawrence, Claire Gibbs, Nathan Danckert, Alison Todd
Summary: This paper describes a probe technology that allows for detection and discrimination of multiple targets in a single fluorescent channel during PCR. By manipulating temperature, the fluorescence of the probes can be switched on or off to detect specific targets. Using this technology, multiple targets can be analyzed simultaneously, offering an efficient strategy for diagnosing infectious diseases.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Jordan P. Skittrall, Michael Wilson, Anna A. Smielewska, Surendra Parmar, Mary D. Fortune, Dominic Sparkes, Martin D. Curran, Hongyi Zhang, Hamid Jalal
Summary: Confirmatory testing is crucial for reducing false positive results and improving specificity and positive predictive value of SARS-CoV-2 testing. Results of the study suggest that in low prevalence settings, confirmatory testing significantly reduces the detection of false positives.
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Alexander Y. Trick, Johan H. Melendez, Fan-En Chen, Liben Chen, Annet Onzia, Aidah Zawedde, Edith Nakku-Joloba, Peter Kyambadde, Emmanuel Mande, Joshua Matovu, Maxine Atuheirwe, Richard Kwizera, Elizabeth A. Gilliams, Yu-Hsiang Hsieh, Charlotte A. Gaydos, Yukari C. Manabe, Matthew M. Hamill, Tza-Huei Wang
Summary: The PROMPT PCR test is a portable, rapid method for detecting sexually transmitted infections, providing assistance in treatment decisions and combating the rise of antimicrobial resistant pathogens.
SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Kristel C. Tjandra, Nikhil Ram-Mohan, Ryuichiro Abe, Tza-Huei Wang, Samuel Yang
Summary: Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) poses an urgent threat to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) globally, with rapid resistance to previous treatments. A DNA-based method was used to determine the susceptibility of NG to ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone within 30 minutes, achieving reasonable accuracy compared to conventional methods taking multiple days. The model predicted susceptibility of NG strains to ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin with high percentages.
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Ayoma Ratnappuli, Melanie Bissessor, Shehara Arumugam, Deborah A. Williamson, Eric P. F. Chow, Christopher K. Fairley, Jason J. Ong, Vesna De Petra, Marcus Y. Chen
Summary: Most asymptomatic men testing positive for N. gonorrhoeae by NAAT had viable organisms present, urging clinicians to consider performing urethral culture for optimal surveillance of antimicrobial resistance. The isolation of N. gonorrhoeae in asymptomatic men without discharge confirms true infections.
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS
(2022)
Article
Dermatology
Ingibjorg Hilmarsdottir, Eva Mjoll Arnardottir, Elisabet Reykdal Johannesdottir, Daniel Golparian, Magnus Unemo
Summary: This study examined the prevalence and risk factors of Chlamydia trachomatis among attendees at a sexually transmitted infections clinic in Iceland. The findings revealed a high prevalence of C. trachomatis, with factors such as contact tracing, age, and number of sexual partners being associated with infection.
ACTA DERMATO-VENEREOLOGICA
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Jianru Yang, Mengnan Fan, Xianlian Chen, Yuan Chen, Meirong Huang, Xiaosu Wang, Qin Lu, Mei Zou, Hong Song, Xun Min, Jian Huang
Summary: Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the causative agent of gonorrhea, a common infectious disease. Asymptomatic carriers play a crucial role in transmitting the disease. A specific, sensitive, rapid, and convenient method for detecting N. gonorrhoeae is needed to control its spread. In this study, we developed a biosensor based on lateral flow strip and recombinase polymerase amplification to detect N. gonorrhoeae with high sensitivity and specificity.
ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Article
Family Studies
Dean Murphy, Jeanne Ellard, Lisa Maher, Peter Saxton, Martin Holt, Bridget Haire, Andrew Grulich, Benjamin Bavinton, Steven Philpot, Adam Bourne, Daniel Storer, Fengyi Jin, Mohamed Hammoud, Garrett Prestage
Summary: Although previous studies have reported a decrease in sexual partner numbers among gay and bisexual-identifying men during the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic, few studies have explored risk reduction strategies. This study analyzed free-text responses from an online survey conducted from April to July 2020 to understand how men sought to minimize the risk of COVID-19 during sexual encounters. The findings highlight partner selection, risk assessment, and in situ practices as important strategies employed by men to reduce COVID-19 transmission risk. The study also discusses the parallels between these strategies and early responses to HIV.
CULTURE HEALTH & SEXUALITY
(2023)
Article
Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
Daniel Storer, Garrett Prestage, Hamish McManus, Lisa Maher, Benjamin R. Bavinton, Jeanne Ellard, Fengyi Jin, Steven Philpot, Martin Holt, Peter Saxton, Bridget Haire, Dean Murphy, Mohamed A. Hammoud
Summary: COVID-19 related lockdowns have impacted the sexual activity of gay and bisexual men. More severe outbreaks and longer lockdown periods result in significant changes in sexual behavior.
SEXUALITY RESEARCH AND SOCIAL POLICY
(2023)
Letter
Infectious Diseases
Marinjho E. Jonduo, Andrew J. Vallely, David M. Whiley, Michaela A. Riddell, William Pomat, Nicola Low, Emma L. Sweeney
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Samuel Phillips, Alyssa M. Cornall, Monica Molano, Fengyi Jin, Jennifer M. Roberts, Annabelle Farnsworth, Richard J. Hillman, David J. Templeton, I. Mary Poynten, Suzanne M. Garland, Christopher K. Fairley, Gerald L. Murray, Sepehr N. Tabrizi, Andrew E. Grulich, Dorothy A. Machalek
Summary: Attribution algorithms have limited accuracy in defining HPV genotype risk in anal disease for populations with a high rate of multiple HPV infections, particularly in GBM. The proportional algorithm performed the best among the five algorithms tested.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Nicholas Andrew Medland, Doug Fraser, Benjamin R. Bavinton, Fengyi Jin, Andrew E. Grulich, Heath Paynter, Rebecca Guy, Hamish McManus
Summary: HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been government subsidized in Australia since April 2018. However, there are high rates of discontinuation among PrEP users, particularly among certain populations.
JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL AIDS SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Pietro R. Di Ciaccio, Marina T. Van Leeuwen, Janaki Amin, Claire M. Vajdic, Skye McGregor, Isobel M. Poynten, David J. Templeton, Matthew Law, Andrew E. Grulich, Mark N. Polizzotto, Fengyi Jin
Summary: A national population-based data linkage study in Australia revealed the incidence and risk factors of second primary cancer (SPC) in people living with HIV (PLWHIV) between 1982 and 2012. The study found that the risk of SPC remains high in PLWHIV, with a temporal increase observed in non-infection-related SPCs while the incidence of infection-related SPCs decreased.
JAIDS-JOURNAL OF ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROMES
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Allison Carter, Hamish McManus, James S. Ward, Tobias Vickers, Jason Asselin, Greta Baillie, Eric P. F. Chow, Marcus Y. Chen, Christopher K. Fairley, Christopher Bourne, Anna McNulty, Phillip Read, Kevin Heath, Nathan Ryder, Jenny McCloskey, Christopher Carmody, Heather McCormack, Kate Alexander, Dawn Casey, Mark Stoove, Margaret E. Hellard, Basil Donovan, Rebecca J. Guy
Summary: This study examined changes in the positive infectious syphilis test rate among women and heterosexual men in major Australian cities, and identified social, biomedical, and behavioural determinants of health that influenced the test rate. The results showed an increase in the positive test rate in 2019 compared to 2011. The study recommends routine syphilis screening for individuals attending reproductive health or alcohol and drug services.
MEDICAL JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jack E. Heron, Hamish McManus, Tobias Vickers, Kathleen Ryan, Edwina Wright, Allison Carter, Mark Stoove, Jason Asselin, Andrew Grulich, Basil Donovan, Rebecca Guy, Rick Varma, Marcus Chen, Nathan Ryder, David A. Lewis, David J. Templeton, Catherine C. O'Connor, David M. Gracey
Summary: This study analyzed data from 52 sexual health clinics in Australia and found that the use of TDF for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) was associated with lower rates of renal impairment than its use for HIV infection. Factors such as age and baseline kidney function were predictors of renal impairment.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Vincent J. Cornelisse, Jason J. Ong, Nathan Ryder, Catriona Ooi, Arthur Wong, Penny Kenchington, Massimo Giola, Basil Donovan, Judith A. Dean, Jean-Michel Molina, Nicholas A. Medland
Summary: Recent studies show the effectiveness of using doxycycline (Doxy-PEP) to prevent bacterial STIs among gay, bisexual, and other men who have experienced multiple STIs. However, potential adverse outcomes such as antimicrobial resistance and disruption of the microbiome still need further investigation. This position statement aims to provide clinicians in Australia and New Zealand with evidence-based information for discussions with patients planning to use Doxy-PEP.
Article
Immunology
Denton Callander, Hamish McManus, Richard T. Gray, Andrew E. Grulich, Andrew Carr, Jennifer Hoy, Basil Donovan, Christopher K. Fairley, Martin Holt, David J. Templeton, Siaw-Teng Liaw, James H. McMahon, Jason Asselin, Kathy Petoumenos, Margaret Hellard, Alisa Pedrana, Julian Elliott, Phillip Keen, Jane Costello, Richard Keane, John Kaldor, Mark Stoove, Rebecca Guy
Summary: By studying HIV treatment-as-prevention among GBM in Australia, it was found that this method can effectively reduce HIV incidence, especially when combined with the use of PrEP.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
James Gray, Garrett Prestage, Fengyi Jin, Nittaya K. Phanuphak, Ruth K. Friedman, Christopher K. Fairley, Anthony Kelleher, David J. Templeton, Iryna Zablotska-Manos, Jennifer Hoy, Anna McNulty, David Baker, Graham Brown, Andrew Grulich, Benjamin Bavinton, Opposites Attract Study Group
Summary: Male HIV-serodiscordant couples have different relationship agreements regarding sex outside the relationship. These agreements are largely stable over time, with a majority of HIV-negative men reporting the same agreement across follow-up. Breaking an agreement is predicted by condomless anal intercourse within the relationship and PrEP use in the last three months. Focus needs to be placed on sex occurring outside the relationship and the agreements that facilitate this when considering HIV transmission risk for HIV-negative men in serodiscordant relationships.
Article
Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
Nathanael Wells, Dean Murphy, Jeanne Ellard, Chris Howard, Phillip Keen, Christopher Fairley, Basil Donovan, Garrett Prestage
Summary: In Australia, it is recommended that HIV-positive test results be delivered in person whenever possible. However, HIV-negative and other STI results are routinely given over the phone or through text messages. Requesting individuals to receive positive HIV test results in person may deviate from standard healthcare delivery and be seen as indicating a positive HIV diagnosis.
SEXUALITY RESEARCH AND SOCIAL POLICY
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Nicole G. Ertl, Adam D. Irwin, Joanne Macdonald, Michelle J. Bauer, Claire Y. T. Wang, Patrick N. A. Harris, Claire Heney, Hosam M. Zowawi, David M. Whiley
Summary: In this study, rapid diagnostic assays using recombinase polymerase amplification with lateral flow detection (RPA-LF) were developed and tested for detecting the beta-lactamase genes CTX-M and CMY-2. The assays showed high sensitivity (82.1% - 100%) and specificity (100%), with a short turnaround time (15-20 min). The results suggest that these RPA-LF assays have the potential to be used in clinical and low-resource settings for rapid antimicrobial resistance detection.
JAC-ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Patricia Taflan, Paul L. Simpson, Mandy Wilson, Jocelyn Jones, Basil Donovan, Janaki Amin, Sally Nathan, Tony Butler
Summary: The associations between factors related to sexually transmissible infections (STI) and HIV testing and diagnosis among justice-involved adolescents, particularly Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples, are unclear. This study found that for Aboriginal participants, being male and having fewer sexual partners were associated with never having had an STI/HIV test. For non-Aboriginal participants, being male, single, attending school, not seeking sexual health information, and having lower STI/HIV knowledge scores were associated with never having had an STI/HIV test. Factors associated with STI diagnosis were non-heterosexual sexual orientation, transactional sex, and seeking sexual health information.
Editorial Material
Health Care Sciences & Services
Qinglu Cheng, I. Mary Poynten, Fengyi Jin, Andrew Grulich, Jason J. Ong, Richard J. Hillman, George Hruby, Kirsten Howard, Anthony T. Newall, David C. Boettiger
LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH-WESTERN PACIFIC
(2023)
