Publications by authors named "Boesecke C"
Urethritis is a common condition predominantly caused by sexually transmitted pathogens such as Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Mycoplasma genitalium. It is not possible to differentiate with certainty between pathogens on the basis of clinical characteristics alone. However, empirical antibiotic therapy is often initiated in clinical practice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis longitudinal study examined how active gastrointestinal (GI) cancer types affect immune responses to SARS-CoV-2, focusing on the ability to neutralize the Omicron variants. Patients with GI cancer ( = 168) were categorized into those with hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatic metastatic GI cancer, non-hepatic metastatic GI cancer, and two control groups of patients with and without underlying liver diseases. Humoral and cellular immune responses were evaluated before and after Omicron antigen exposures.
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- HCV treatment has significantly improved with direct-acting antiviral therapy (DAA), allowing for shorter treatment durations and better tolerability in difficult-to-treat populations, such as people who inject drugs (PWID) and those on opioid substitution therapy (OST).
- A retrospective analysis of patients receiving DAA at a clinic in Bonn showed that all patients on glecaprevir/pibrentasvir completed their treatment, while 86% of those on sofosbuvir/velpatasvir did, resulting in a 74% sustained virological response (SVR) overall, despite some patients being lost to follow-up.
- The study highlights high adherence and SVR rates for HCV treatment in PWID, supporting efforts to
Article Synopsis
- The study analyzes the occurrence, transmission risks, and immune status related to HIV indicator conditions (HIV-ICs) among treatment-naive individuals living with HIV in Germany from 1999 to 2023.
- It includes data from 15,940 diagnoses and found that the majority of participants were male, with a notable incidence rate for syphilis (34 per 1,000 person-years) and high rates for other conditions linked to HIV.
- The findings emphasize the need for targeted screening based on HIV-ICs to identify individuals with weakened immune systems, highlighting the importance of early antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation.
Article Synopsis
- The study focuses on improving early diagnosis of HIV among individuals with specific conditions known as indicator conditions (ICs), which are associated with higher rates of undiagnosed HIV infections.
- Using data from over 513,000 German healthcare records from 2016 to 2021, the researchers analyzed the HIV prevalence among people with 26 selected ICs, finding notable rates especially in conditions like pneumocystosis and Kaposi's sarcoma.
- The findings indicated significant gender and age disparities, revealing that while many ICs showed high HIV prevalence in younger and middle-aged adults, some female patients had lower prevalence rates in certain conditions compared to males.
War in Ukraine prompted an enormous refugee influx into Europe, including approximately 4200 people with HIV. The unique healthcare features of Ukrainian refugees living with HIV were compared between two infectious disease departments in Bonn, Germany, and Szczecin, Poland. This is a retrospective study on 161 people living with HIV (PLWH) refugees from Ukraine seeking care in Bonn (n = 30) and Szczecin (n = 131) between April 2022 and May 2023.
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- Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (Doxy-PEP) significantly lowers the risk of Chlamydia and early syphilis by about two-thirds, but data on its use among men who have sex with men (MSM) is sparse.
- A national online survey in Germany engaged 438 MSM and transgender women, revealing that 38.8% were aware of Doxy-PEP, and 62.8% would consider using it; however, only 7.3% had actually used it.
- Participants expressed concerns about the lack of detailed information and antibiotic resistance as barriers to usage, highlighting a gap between awareness and actual uptake of Doxy-PEP among MSM, particularly those living with
Objective: Metabolic dysfunction associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is over-represented in people with HIV (PWH). Maraviroc (MVC) and/or metformin (MET) may reduce MAFLD by influencing inflammatory pathways and fatty acid metabolism.
Design: Open-label, 48-week randomized trial with a 2 x 2 factorial design.
Introduction: Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are key to eliminating hepatitis C virus (HCV). In men who have sex with men (MSM) with HIV co-infection, recently acquired HCV infection is common. Sexual practices and reinfection rates may hamper micro-elimination despite high treatment rates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To identify sexual/sex-associated risk factors for hepatitis C transmission among men who have sex with men (MSM) and visualise behavioural trajectories from 2019 to 2021.
Methods: We linked a behavioural survey to a hepatitis C cohort study (NoCo), established in 2019 across six German HIV/hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment centres, and performed a case-control analysis. Cases were MSM with recent HCV infection, and controls were matched for HIV status (model 1) or proportions of sexual partners with HIV (model 2).
Purpose: The risk of developing active tuberculosis (TB) is considerably increased in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH). However, incidence of HIV/TB coinfection is difficult to assess as surveillance data are lacking in many countries. Here, we aimed to perform a quantitative analysis of HIV/TB coinfections within the Cologne/Bonn HIV cohort and to determine risk factors for active TB.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Torque teno virus (TTV) is part of the human virome. TTV load was related to the immune status in patients after organ transplantation. We hypothesize that TTV load could be an additional marker for immune function in people living with HIV (PLWH).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Prolonged shedding of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been observed in immunocompromised hosts. Early monotherapy with direct-acting antivirals or monoclonal antibodies, as recommended by the international guidelines, does not prevent this with certainty. Dual therapies may therefore have a synergistic effect.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe present a case of an ultimately fatal course of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease-19) in an 81-year-old female patient during the Omicron surge. The patient did not represent the typical patient at risk for severe COVID-19 with significant causes of immunodeficiency. However, she had been skeptical about the vaccination for severe acute respiratory syndrome virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and had refused it.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Data on immune response rates following vaccination for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in patients with hepatobiliary carcinoma (HBC) are rare. However, impaired immunogenicity must be expected due to the combination of chronic liver diseases (CLDs) with malignancy and anticancer treatment.
Methods: In this prospective, longitudinal study, 101 patients were included, of whom 59 were patients with HBC under anticancer treatment.
Background: The European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) guidelines were revised in 2023 for the 19th time, and all aspects of HIV care were updated.
Key Points Of The Guidelines Update: Version 12.0 of the guidelines recommend the same six first-line treatment options for antiretroviral treatment (ART)-naïve adults as versions 11.
Article Synopsis
- A significant number of people living with HIV are diagnosed late, and identifying HIV indicator diseases could facilitate earlier diagnosis through improved testing.
- The HeLP study aims to validate existing HIV indicator diseases for Germany by reviewing literature, consulting experts, and analyzing various health data to create guidelines for better HIV testing.
- By examining physician awareness and barriers related to HIV testing in practice, the study seeks to enhance understanding and implementation of HIV testing recommendations in clinical settings.
Background: Currently available antiretroviral 2-drug regimen (2DR) fixed dose combinations may not be suitable for specific situations including the presence of resistance associated mutations (RAM) or drug - drug interactions (DDI). The data on the use of the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor doravirine (DOR) and the integrase inhibitor dolutegravir (DTG) as an alternative 2DR remain scarce.
Methods: People living with HIV with DOR + DTG as a 2DR are being followed in a prospective observational study.
Purpose: We aimed to review the landscape of late HIV diagnosis in Germany and discuss persisting and emerging barriers to earlier diagnosis alongside potential solutions.
Methods: We searched PubMed for studies informing the prevalence, trends, and factors associated with late HIV diagnosis in Germany. Author opinions were considered alongside relevant data.
Background: SARS-CoV-2 immunogenicity in patients with gastrointestinal cancer (GI cancer) following second and third vaccination was analyzed.
Methods: A total of 125 patients under active anticancer therapy or in follow-up care were included in this prospective study. Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike and surrogate neutralization antibodies (NABs) was measured.
Objectives: The objective of this study was to identify the pathogen spectrum of community acquired pneumonia in people living with HIV (PLWH), and to compare it with a matched HIV negative group in order to reassess therapeutic strategies for PLWH.
Methods: Seventy-three (n = 73) PLWH (median CD4 3-6 months before CAP: 515/µl; SD 309) with community acquired pneumonia (CAP) were matched with 218 HIV-negative CAP controls in a prospective study design. Pathogen identifications used blood culture, samples from the upper and lower respiratory tract (culture and multiplex PCR) and urinary pneumococcal and legionella antigen test.
Background: Microelimination of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) among men who have sex with men (MSM) could be complicated by continuous external introductions and the emergence of phylogenetic clusters harbouring clinically significant resistance-associated substitutions (RAS). To investigate international clustering and the prevalence and transmission of RAS, we aimed to analyse whole-genome HCV sequences from MSM with a recently acquired infection who participated in a large, international HCV treatment trial.
Methods: For this whole-genome analysis, we obtained HCV sequences from 128 MSM who had acquired HCV within the past 12 months and were participating in the REACT trial.