Publications by authors named "Heidi M Bauer"

Admissions to jails and prisons in the United States number 10 million yearly; persons entering locked correctional facilities have high prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). These individuals come disproportionately from communities of color, with lower access to care and prevention, compared with the United States as a whole. Following PRISMA guidelines, the authors present results of a systematic review of literature published since 2012 on STIs in US jails, prisons, Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers, and juvenile facilities.

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Objectives: California is experiencing a syphilis and congenital syphilis epidemic, and many persons diagnosed with syphilis report a history of recent incarceration or sexual contact with a person who has recently been incarcerated. Fresno County's local health department and jail collaborated to implement a routine syphilis screening policy for male adults aged 18-30 and female adults aged 18-35 booked into the facility. We evaluated syphilis screening, case finding, and treatment rates after implementation of the new policy.

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Background: Congenital syphilis (CS), the transmission of Treponema pallidum from mother to fetus during pregnancy, can cause adverse birth outcomes. In 2012 to 2014, the CS rate in California increased more than 200% from 6.6 to 20.

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Background: Adolescent girls and young women experience high rates of sexually transmitted infection (STI) with currently available contraceptive methods, yet few studies examine the burden of chlamydial infection by contraceptive method used.

Materials And Methods: In this cross-sectional analysis, we linked July 2012-June 2013 claims from a publicly-funded family planning program in California to chlamydia laboratory test results. Female clients were classified by the most effective contraceptive method reported by providers during the year: tier 1 (high-efficacy permanent or long-acting reversible methods), tier 2 (shorter-acting hormonal methods), or tier 3 (barrier methods, emergency contraception, or natural family planning).

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Ocular syphilis, a manifestation of Treponema pallidum infection, can cause a variety of ocular signs and symptoms, including eye redness, blurry vision, and vision loss. Although syphilis is nationally notifiable, ocular manifestations are not reportable to CDC. Syphilis rates have increased in the United States since 2000.

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In 2014, the California Department of Public Health was notified by a local health department of a diagnosis of acute human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection* and rectal gonorrhea in a male adult film industry performer, aged 25 years (patient A). Patient A had a 6-day history of rash, fever, and sore throat suggestive of acute retroviral syndrome at the time of examination. He was informed of his positive HIV and gonorrhea test results 6 days after his examination.

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Background: Juvenile detention facilities house adolescents at high risk for sexually transmitted diseases. Collaboration between health departments and juvenile detention authorities can provide routine, cost-efficient chlamydia screening and treatment to females with limited access to care. We describe trends in screening, positivity, treatment, and associated costs in a well-established juvenile detention chlamydia screening program.

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In 2007, five Emerging Infections Program (EIP) sites were funded to determine the feasibility of establishing a population-based surveillance system for monitoring the effect of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine on pre-invasive cervical lesions. The project involved active population-based surveillance of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grades 2 and 3 and adenocarcinoma in situ as well as associated HPV types in women >18 years of age residing in defined catchment areas; collecting relevant clinical information and detailed HPV vaccination histories for women 18-39 years of age; and estimating the annual rate of cervical cancer screening among the catchment area population. The first few years of the project provided key information, including data on HPV type distribution, before expected effect of vaccine introduction.

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Background: Expedited partner therapy (EPT) has been shown to prevent reinfection in persons with gonorrhea and to plausibly reduce incidence. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends EPT as an option for treating sex partners of heterosexual patients. Few studies that examine how the reported use of this valuable intervention differs by patient and provider characteristics and by geography across multiple jurisdictions in the United States are currently available.

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Background: Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2, 3, and adenocarcinoma in situ (CIN2+) lesions can be monitored as early indicators of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine impact. Changes to screening utilization will affect observed reductions in CIN2+ rates and complicate the interpretation of vaccine impact.

Methods: From 2008 to 2012, 9119 cases of CIN2+ among 18- to 39-year-old residents of catchment areas in California, Connecticut, New York, and Oregon were reported to the HPV-IMPACT Project, a sentinel system for monitoring the population impact of HPV vaccine.

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We report a treatment failure to azithromycin 2.0 g caused by a urethral Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolate with high-level azithromycin resistance in California. This report describes the epidemiological case investigation and phenotypic and genetic characterization of the treatment failure isolate.

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Objective: High-risk HPV (hrHPV) and cytology co-testing is utilized for primary cervical cancer screening and for enhanced follow-up of women who are hrHPV-positive, cytology negative. However, data are lacking on the utility of this method to detect pre-cancer or cancer in community-based clinical practice. This study describes cytology and hrHPV results preceding high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, adenocarcinoma in situ, or cervical cancer (i.

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Background: Declining susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to available antimicrobial agents has prompted repeated updates of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) treatment guidelines. The only regimen currently recommended as first-line treatment is dual therapy consisting of an intramuscular dose of ceftriaxone together with azithromycin or doxycycline. The objective of this analysis is to identify how adherence to the CDC guidelines varies by clinical practice setting.

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Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) screening programs have been established in educational settings in many countries during the past 2 decades. However, recent evidence suggests that high uptake of screening and management (treatment, partner notification, and retesting for reinfection) improves program effectiveness. We conducted a systematic review to understand the screening strategies, the extent of screening conducted, and uptake of management strategies in educational settings.

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We evaluated Neisseria gonorrhoeae Etest minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) relative to agar dilution MICs for 664 urethral isolates for ceftriaxone (CRO) and azithromycin (AZM), 351 isolates for cefpodoxime (CPD) and 315 isolates for cefixime (CFM). Etest accurately determined CPD, CFM and AZM MICs, but resulted in higher CRO MICs.

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Background: In many countries, low Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) screening rates among young people in primary-care have encouraged screening programs outside of clinics. Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) make it possible to screen people in homes with self-collected specimens. We systematically reviewed the strategies and outcomes of home-based CT/NG screening programs.

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In the USA, family planning clinics are primary providers of reproductive healthcare to young women and their male partners and have long provided quality sexually transmitted infection (STI) care and prevention. Chlamydia, an easily treatable STI that can lead to serious adverse outcomes if untreated, is the most common bacterial STI in the USA, and annual chlamydia screening is recommended for sexually active women aged ≤25 years. As early adopters of routine screening, family planning clinics screen >50% of all care-seeking eligible women for chlamydia, performing better than private sector healthcare plans.

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Our objective was to assess the sensitivity and specificity of human papillomavirus (HPV) testing for cervical cancer screening in randomized trials. We conducted a systematic literature search of the following databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Cochrane. Eligible studies were randomized trials comparing HPV-based to cytology-based screening strategies, with disease status determined by colposcopy/biopsy for participants with positive results.

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Background: Vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 is recommended for girls aged 11 or 12 years with catch-up vaccination through age 26 in the U.S. Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 2 or 3 and adenocarcinoma in situ (CIN2+) are used to monitor HPV vaccine impact on cervical disease.

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Background: Two vaccines protect against human papillomaviruses (HPV) 16 and 18, which cause 70% of cervical cancer and 50% of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2/3 and adenocarcinoma in situ (CIN2+). Monitoring HPV types in CIN2+ may be used to assess HPV vaccine impact.

Methods: As part of a multisite vaccine impact monitoring project (HPV-IMPACT), biopsy specimens used to diagnose CIN2+ were obtained for HPV DNA typing for women aged 18-39 years.

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Background: Administration of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is recommended for adolescent girls and young adult women. Little is known about the factors associated with vaccination. This study examined prevalence and correlates of HPV vaccine initiation (≥1 dose) among a statewide representative sample of adolescent and young adult females living in California.

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Because of the rapid development of genital warts (GW) after infection, monitoring GW trends may provide early evidence of population-level human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine effectiveness. Trends in GW diagnoses were assessed using public family planning administrative data. Between 2007 and 2010, among females younger than 21 years, these diagnoses decreased 35% from 0.

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Background: Repeat infection with Chlamydia trachomatis following treatment is common and increases the risk of sequelae. Despite clinical guidelines recommending rescreening within 3 months of treatment, rescreening rates remain low. We undertook a systematic review to identify studies that compared rates of rescreening for repeat chlamydial infection between patients receiving and not receiving an intervention.

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Background: Treatment of sex partners is a core strategy for the control of chlamydia. Innovations such as patient-delivered partner therapy (PDPT) are effective in preventing repeat chlamydial infections, but providers' practice and perceptions of PDPT have not been adequately evaluated. This evaluation describes family planning providers' practices, knowledge, attitudes, and barriers regarding PDPT and assesses factors associated with routine use.

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