Acceptability, feasibility and appropriateness of intensified health education, SMS/phone tracing and transport reimbursement for uptake of voluntary medical male circumcision in a sexually transmitted infections clinic in Malawi: A mixed methods study.

Introduction: Uptake of voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) remains a challenge in many settings. Innovative implementation strategies are required to scale-up VMMC uptake.

Methodology: RITe was a multi-faceted intervention comprising transport reimbursement (R), intensified health education (IHE) and SMS/Telephone tracing (Te), which increased the uptake of VMMC among uncircumcised men with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Malawi.

Acceptability, feasibility and appropriateness of intensified health education, SMS/phone tracing and transport reimbursement for uptake of voluntary medical male circumcision in a sexually transmitted infections clinic in Malawi: a mixed methods study.

Introduction: Uptake of voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) remains a challenge in many settings. Innovative implementation strategies are required to scale-up VMMC uptake.

Methodology: RITe was a multi-faceted intervention comprising transport reimbursement (R), intensified health education (IHE) and SMS/Telephone tracing (Te), which increased the uptake of VMMC among uncircumcised men with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Malawi.

Intravenous Immunoglobulin Therapy-Induced Erythema Multiforme in a Patient with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

This case report discusses immunoglobulin-induced erythema multiforme (EM), a rare and understudied condition that requires further investigation. The report presents the case of a 69-year-old woman with a history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia who developed an acute hypersensitivity reaction to intravenous gamma globulin medication. The patient received intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) to normalize and stabilize her immunoglobulin levels and reduce the risk of recurrent infections due to her immunodeficiency with predominantly antibody defects.

Sensitivity and specificity of two investigational Point of care tests for Syphilis and HIV (PoSH Study) for the diagnosis and treatment of infectious syphilis in Canada: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Single-visit testing and treatment for syphilis can reduce follow-up visits. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the performance and treatment outcomes of two dual syphilis/HIV point-of-care tests (POCTs).

Methods: Participants aged 16 years and older were offered concurrent syphilis/HIV POCTs with fingerstick blood sampling using two extremely rapid (<5 minutes) devices (MedMira Multiplo Rapid TP/HIV test and INSTI Multiplex HIV-1/HIV-2/Syphilis Antibody Test).

Oral ivermectin to treat scabies: a comparison of two different regimens.

As Sarcoptes scabiei is becoming less sensitive to permethrin, clinicians have started to prescribe oral ivermectin (OI) as a first-line treatment. Guidelines suggest OI 200 µg kg-1 as two doses, 1 week apart. However, the black box of the ivermectin registered in Italy recommends a single dose.

Monkeypox Virus Infection in Humans across 16 Countries - April-June 2022.

Background: Before April 2022, monkeypox virus infection in humans was seldom reported outside African regions where it is endemic. Currently, cases are occurring worldwide. Transmission, risk factors, clinical presentation, and outcomes of infection are poorly defined.

Treponema pallidum genome sequencing from six continents reveals variability in vaccine candidate genes and dominance of Nichols clade strains in Madagascar.

In spite of its immutable susceptibility to penicillin, Treponema pallidum (T. pallidum) subsp. pallidum continues to cause millions of cases of syphilis each year worldwide, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality and underscoring the urgency of developing an effective vaccine to curtail the spread of the infection.

Antimicrobial susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates and syndromic treatment of men with urethral discharge in Kingston, Jamaica, 2018-19.

Objectives: To quantitatively determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of clinical Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from men with urethral discharge in Jamaica and to describe the syndromic treatment therapies administered.

Methods: Urethral eSwabs (Copan) were collected from 175 men presenting with urethral discharge to the Comprehensive Health Centre STI Clinic, Kingston, Jamaica. Clinical information was collected and MICs of eight antimicrobials were determined for N.

Recurrent Sexually Transmitted Infections Among a Cohort of Men Who Have Sex With Men Using Preexposure Prophylaxis in Belgium Are Highly Associated With Sexualized Drug Use.

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) experiencing recurrent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) may play a crucial role in the STI epidemic. However, there is limited understanding of what kind of behavior leads to recurrent STIs.

Methods: A total of 179 MSM using preexposure prophylaxis were followed up for 18 months and were screened quarterly for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis from 2015 to 2018 in Belgium.

Assessing the Potential Impact of Disruptions Due to COVID-19 on HIV Among Key and Lower-Risk Populations in the Largest Cities of Cameroon and Benin.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic indirectly impacts HIV epidemiology in Central/West Africa. We estimated the potential impact of COVID-19-related disruptions to HIV prevention/treatment services and sexual partnerships on HIV incidence and HIV-related deaths among key populations including female sex workers (FSW), their clients, men who have sex with men, and overall.

Setting: Yaoundé (Cameroon) and Cotonou (Benin).

Pregnancy Among HIV-Serodiscordant Couples: Case Report of Vertical Transmission and Retrospective Case Series.

Background: HIV transmission during pregnancy and breastfeeding among serodiscordant heterosexual couples represents an ongoing barrier to the elimination of vertical transmission of HIV-1 infection in Canada.

Objective: To report a case of vertical HIV transmission during breastfeeding and examine the prevalence of risk factors for HIV transmission in the pregnancy and postpartum periods among serodiscordant couples where the male partner is HIV positive and female partner HIV negative.

Methods: Case report and retrospective chart review of HIV-serodiscordant pregnant couples over an eight-year period in Edmonton, Canada.

Trends and determinants of condomless sex in gonorrhoea patients diagnosed in France through the sentinel surveillance network ResIST, 2005-2014.

Background: Gonorrhoea is increasing in France since its resurgence in the late 1990's. Understanding trends of condomless sex is a requirement to tailor prevention toward most exposed individuals. This study aims to analyse trends and determinants of condomless penetrative sex (PS) in MSM and heterosexuals diagnosed with gonorrhoea in France.

Estimation of Full-Length TprK Diversity in Treponema pallidum subsp. .

Immune evasion and disease progression of subsp. are associated with sequence diversity in the hypervariable outer membrane protein TprK. Previous attempts to study variation within TprK have sequenced at depths insufficient to fully appreciate the hypervariable nature of the protein, failed to establish linkage between the protein's seven variable regions, or were conducted on isolates passed through rabbits.

A retrospective study on nested PCR detection of syphilis treponemes in clinical samples: PCR detection contributes to the diagnosis of syphilis in patients with seronegative and serodiscrepant results.

Syphilis, caused by Treponema pallidum ssp. pallidum (TPA), is a persisting global health problem. Although syphilis diagnostics relies mainly on serology, serological tests have some limitations, and it is recommended that the final diagnosis be supported by additional tests.

MLST typing of Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum in the Czech Republic during 2004-2017: Clinical isolates belonged to 25 allelic profiles and harbored 8 novel allelic variants.

A recently introduced Multilocus Sequence Typing scheme for Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum was applied to clinical samples collected from 2004 to 2017 from the two largest cities (Prague and Brno) in the Czech Republic. Altogether, a total of 675 samples were tested in this study and 281 of them were found PCR-positive for treponemal DNA and typeable.

Identifying key elements to inform HIV-testing interventions for primary care in Belgium.

General practitioners (GPs) play a key role in reducing the hidden HIV-epidemic, but many diagnostic opportunities are missed in primary care. This study aimed at informing the development of an HIV-testing intervention for GPs in Flanders (Belgium) using formative research with a participatory approach. Through the active involvement of an advisory board and 16 group discussions with 122 Flemish GPs, GPs' current HIV-testing practices and perceived practical relevance of 2 distinct HIV-testing strategies (i.

Gonococcal Conjunctivitis in Adults: Case Report and Retrospective Review of Cases in Alberta, Canada, 2000-2016.

Background: A case of gonococcal conjunctivitis (GC) prompted us to review the reported cases and treatment regimens of GC in Alberta, Canada.

Methods: Gonococcal cases reported from 2000 to 2016 were extracted from the provincial sexually transmitted infection reporting database. The diagnosis of GC was based on a positive culture and/or nucleic acid amplification test from the eye.

Time trend analysis (2009-2016) of antimicrobial susceptibility in Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolated in Italy following the introduction of the combined antimicrobial therapy.

Introduction: Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) antimicrobial susceptibility trends to azithromycin, cefixime and ceftriaxone were analyzed, from 2009 to 2016, to monitor changing antimicrobial susceptibility concomitant with the change in prescribing practice in 2012 from cefixime, or ceftriaxone, to ceftriaxone plus azithromycin. Patient characteristics predictive to be infected by antibiotic resistant N. gonorrhoeae were estimated.

Early Childhood Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Infants Exposed to Infectious Syphilis In Utero.

Background: There are minimal neurodevelopmental follow-up data for infants exposed to syphilis in utero.

Methods: This is an inception cohort study of infants exposed to syphilis in utero. We reviewed women with reactive syphilis serology in pregnancy or at delivery in Edmonton (Canada), 2002 through 2010 and describe the neurodevelopmental outcomes of children with and without congenital syphilis.

Current treatments for anal condylomata acuminata.

Introduction: Condylomata acuminata are the most common sexually transmitted disease worldwide. They are not usually a serious problem, but it causes emotional distress to patient and physician alike because of its marked tendency to recurrence. The presence of anogenital warts mandates treatment, also for potential degeneration of the lesions.