The occurrence of single-site pharyngeal Neisseria gonorrhoeae among female sex workers in the Netherlands.

Background: Female sex workers (FSW) have a higher burden of sexually transmitted infections (STI), including Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), than the non-sex worker population, mainly due to social vulnerability and work-related factors. This large study evaluated the anatomical site distribution of NG, and specifically the occurrence of single-site pharyngeal NG, among FSW visiting Dutch STI clinics in the Netherlands.

Methods: Coded STI clinic consultations from FSW attending any Dutch STI clinic between 2016 and 2021, in which tests were performed on all three anatomical sites, according to the Dutch testing policy for FSW, were included in analyses (n = 22,304).

Advancing COVID-19 diagnostics: rapid detection of intact SARS-CoV-2 using viability RT-PCR assay.

Unlabelled: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Commonly used methods for both clinical diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and management of infected patients involve the detection of viral RNA, but the presence of infectious virus particles is unknown. Viability PCR (v-PCR) uses a photoreactive dye to bind non-infectious RNA, ideally resulting in the detection of RNA only from intact virions.

The laboratory parameters-derived CoLab score as an indicator of the host response in ICU COVID-19 patients decreases over time: a prospective cohort study.

The CoLab score was developed and externally validated to rule out COVID-19 among suspected patients presenting at the emergency department. We hypothesized a within-patient decrease in the CoLab score over time in an intensive care unit (ICU) cohort. Such a decrease would create the opportunity to potentially rule out the need for isolation when the infection is overcome.

The CoLab score is associated with SARS-CoV-2 viral load during admission in individuals admitted to the intensive care unit: the CoLaIC cohort study.

Objectives: The present study examines the temporal association between the changes in SARS-CoV-2 viral load during infection and whether the CoLab-score can facilitate de-isolation.

Methods: Nasal swabs and blood samples were collected from ICU-admitted SARS-CoV-2 positive patients at Maastricht UMC+ from March 25, 2020 to October 1, 2021. The CoLab-score was calculated based on 10 blood parameters and age and can range from -43 to 6.

Refining Timely Diagnosis of Early Syphilis by Using Treponema pallidum PCR or IgM Immunoblotting Next to Conventional Serology for Syphilis.

Treponema pallidum subsp. is a fastidious spirochete and the etiologic agent of syphilis, a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Syphilis diagnoses and disease staging are based on clinical findings and serologic testing.

Validating a clinical laboratory parameter-based deisolation algorithm for patients with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit using viability PCR: the CoLaIC multicentre cohort study protocol.

Introduction: To investigate whether biochemical and haematological changes due to the patient's host response (CoLab algorithm) in combination with a SARS-CoV-2 viability PCR (v-PCR) can be used to determine when a patient with COVID-19 is no longer infectious.We hypothesise that the CoLab algorithm in combination with v-PCR can be used to determine whether or not a patient with COVID-19 is infectious to facilitate the safe release of patients with COVID-19 from isolation.

Methods And Analysis: This study consists of three parts using three different cohorts of patients.

Corneal Transplantation for Infectious Keratitis: A Prospective Dutch Registry Study.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze real-world practice patterns and graft survival after corneal transplantation for infectious keratitis in the Netherlands.

Methods: All consecutive keratoplasties for infectious keratitis registered in the Netherlands Organ Transplant Registry were included. Graft survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves with Cox regression to compare the 3 most common pathogens with subgroup analysis for type and reason of transplantation, sex, and graft size.

Chlamydia trachomatis Coinfection Does Not Influence Mycoplasma genitalium Bacterial Load in Urogenital Samples.

Background: Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) is associated with urethritis in men and weakly associated with pelvic inflammatory disease in women. Mycoplasma genitalium coinfections with Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) are commonly reported; however, little is known about their interaction. One study suggested that MG/NG coinfections might increase the bacterial load of NG, which has been shown to have a higher transmission potential.

Longitudinal fluctuations of common antimicrobial resistance genes in the gut microbiomes of healthy Dutch individuals.

The human gut microbiome is an important reservoir of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), collectively termed the 'resistome'. To date, few studies have examined the dynamics of the human gut resistome in healthy individuals. Previously, the authors observed high rates of ARG acquisition and significant abundance shifts during international travel.

Culture-Independent Genotyping Improves Surveillance of , Especially in Oropharyngeal Samples, the Netherlands, 2017 to 2018.

It is important i to monitor the transmission and antimicrobial resistance of (NG). Current surveillance relies on culturing, which frequently fails. Previously, a culture-independent genotyping method was developed based on NG multi-antigen sequence typing (NG-MAST).

Evaluation of symptomatology and viral load among residents and healthcare staff in long-term care facilities: A coronavirus disease 2019 retrospective case-cohort study.

Objectives: We evaluated COVID-19 symptoms, case fatality rate (CFR), and viral load among all Long-Term Care Facility (LTCF) residents and staff in South Limburg, the Netherlands (February 2020-June 2020, wildtype SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan strain).

Methods: Patient information was gathered via regular channels used to notify the public health services. Ct-values were obtained from the Maastricht University Medical Centre laboratory.

Infections with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant exhibit fourfold increased viral loads in the upper airways compared to Alpha or non-variants of concern.

There has been a growing body of evidence that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Delta variant (B.1.617.

Effectiveness of Commonly Used Contact Lens Disinfectants Against SARS-CoV-2.

Objective: To assess the effect of commonly used contact lens disinfectants against severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Methods: The efficacy of five disinfectant solutions against SARS-CoV-2 was tested in the presence and absence of contact lenses (CLs). Three types of unused CLs (hard gas permeable, soft hydrogel, and soft silicone hydrogel) and worn silicone hydrogel CLs were tested.

and provide resistance to travel-associated intestinal colonization by multi-drug resistant .

Previous studies have shown high acquisition risks of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing (ESBL-E) among international travelers visiting antimicrobial resistance (AMR) hotspots. Although antibiotic use and travelers' diarrhea have shown to influence the ESBL-E acquisition risk, it remains largely unknown whether successful colonization of ESBL-E during travel is associated with the composition, functional capacity and resilience of the traveler's microbiome. The microbiome of pre- and post-travel fecal samples from 190 international travelers visiting Africa or Asia was profiled using whole metagenome shotgun sequencing.

Controversies and evidence on Chlamydia testing and treatment in asymptomatic women and men who have sex with men: a narrative review.

Background: Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) worldwide. CT is mainly asymptomatic. Test-and-treat strategies are widely implemented to prevent transmission and complications.

Incident urogenital and anorectal in women: the role of sexual exposure and autoinoculation: a multicentre observational study (FemCure).

Background: Anorectal infections with (CT) are common in women visiting STI outpatient clinics. We here evaluated the risk posed by sexual exposure and by alternate anatomical site infection for incident anorectal and urogenital CT.

Methods: Prospective multicentre cohort study, FemCure.

In-Depth Investigation of Conjunctival Swabs and Tear Fluid of Symptomatic COVID-19 Patients, an Observational Cohort Study.

Purpose: The putative presence of SARS-CoV-2 in ocular specimen puts healthcare workers at risk. We thoroughly examined conjunctival swabs and tear fluid in a large cohort of COVID-19 patients.

Methods: A total of 243 symptomatic laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients were included in this observational multicenter study.

Combining stool and stories: exploring antimicrobial resistance among a longitudinal cohort of international health students.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health concern that requires transdisciplinary and bio-social approaches. Despite the continuous calls for a transdisciplinary understanding of this problem, there is still a lack of such studies. While microbiology generates knowledge about the biomedical nature of bacteria, social science explores various social practices related to the acquisition and spread of these bacteria.

Culture-Independent Genotyping Revealed 3 Strain Clusters in a Potential Neisseria gonorrhoeae Outbreak in Young Heterosexuals (<25 Years), the Netherlands, October 2017 to March 2019.

Background: Investigation was undertaken to determine the genetic relatedness of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) isolates of young (<25 years) heterosexuals of a potential outbreak from October 2017 to March 2019 in South-Limburg, the Netherlands.

Methods: Data and residual sample material of routine diagnostics were retrieved for outbreak cases (78/81), young heterosexuals at baseline (January 2016 to September 2017, n = 30), and men who have sex with men (2018, n = 47). Total DNA was isolated, and NG was genotyped using culture-free NG multiantigen sequence typing.

Systematic Development of an Intervention to Promote Self-Sampling for HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections for Men Who Have Sex With Men: An Intervention Mapping Approach.

Sexual healthcare aims to reduce HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) by promoting testing and prevention. To better reach men who have sex with men (MSM), additional strategies are needed. Here, we describe development of an intervention, which is part of a broader HIV/STI home-care program, targeted to reach MSM and motivate them to use self-sampling tests.

COVID-19: first long-term care facility outbreak in the Netherlands following cross-border introduction from Germany, March 2020.

Background: The Dutch province of Limburg borders the German district of Heinsberg, which had a large cluster of COVID-19 cases linked to local carnival activities before any cases were reported in the Netherlands. However, Heinsberg was not included as an area reporting local or community transmission per the national case definition at the time. In early March, two residents from a long-term care facility (LTCF) in Sittard, a Dutch town located in close vicinity to the district of Heinsberg, tested positive for COVID-19.

Obligatory medical prescription of antibiotics in Russia: Navigating formal and informal health-care infrastructures.

Antimicrobial resistance control programmes often aim to "fix" the behaviour of antibiotic users and prescribers. Such behavioural interventions have been widely criticised in social science literature for being inefficient and too narrow in scope. Drawing on these criticisms, this article analyses how political programmes for fixing antibiotic behaviours were adapted into the practices of health-care professionals and patients in Russia.