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Infect Dis Obstet Gynecol 2022 17;2022:7930567. Epub 2022 Jun 17.

School of Clinical Medicine Laboratory, College of Health Science, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.

There is a lack of data on the burden of and among human immunodeficiency virus- (HIV-) infected pregnant women in South Africa. We conducted a cross-sectional study which included 385 HIV-infected pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at the King Edward VIII Hospital in Durban, South Africa. The women provided vaginal swabs which were tested for and . Read More

Indian J Med Microbiol 2022 Jun 21. Epub 2022 Jun 21.

Department of Dermatology and Venereology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110029, India.

Treatment guidelines for management of uncomplicated gonorrhoeae have been recently modified owing to alarming upsurge in azithromycin resistance. This study investigated the prevalence and genetic determinants of gonococcal azithromycin resistance in India. Four (5. Read More

Med Lett Drugs Ther 2022 06;64(1653):97-104

Rev Panam Salud Publica 2022 21;46:e73. Epub 2022 Jun 21.

Universidad Nacional de Colombia Bogotá Colombia Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.

Objective: To estimate the burden of (CT), (NG), (TP), and human papillomavirus (HPV) infections among people aged 10 to 25 in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Methods: The MEDLINE, EMBASE, and LILACS databases were searched, as well as documents from regional organizations or national health Institutions. Population-based studies that reported prevalence or incidence of CT, NG, TP, and HPV detected through confirmatory tests in adolescents and young people were included. Read More

Pathogens 2022 Jun 9;11(6). Epub 2022 Jun 9.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Curaçao Medical Center, Willemstad, Curacao.

Sexually transmitted infections are one of the important risk factors for preterm delivery, which is among the important contributors to perinatal morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of and infections in women with imminent preterm delivery in Curaçao, an island of the Dutch Caribbean. All women from Curaçao with either preterm premature rupture of the membranes or preterm labor, common indications of imminent preterm delivery, and presenting at the Curaçao Medical Center between 15 November 2019 and 31 December 2020, were included in this single cohort study. Read More

Pathogens 2022 Jun 8;11(6). Epub 2022 Jun 8.

Department of Human Pathology, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy.

Infections caused by bacteria have a major impact on public health-related morbidity and mortality. Despite major advances in the prevention and treatment of bacterial infections, the latter continue to represent a significant economic and social burden worldwide. The WHO compiled a list of six highly virulent multidrug-resistant bacteria named ESKAPE (, , , , , and species) responsible for life-threatening diseases. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2022 Jun 16;23(12). Epub 2022 Jun 16.

Université Paris Cité, CNRS, ITODYS, F-75013 Paris, France.

causes the most common sexually transmitted bacterial infection and trachoma, an eye infection. Untreated infections can lead to sequelae, such as infertility and ectopic pregnancy in women and blindness. We previously enhanced the antichlamydial activity of the fluoroquinolone ciprofloxacin by grafting a metal chelating moiety onto it. Read More

Trop Med Infect Dis 2022 Jun 2;7(6). Epub 2022 Jun 2.

National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza Research Centre, Mwanza P.O. Box 1462, Tanzania.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is global health threat that is on the increase, and it has been adversely affecting the proper management of sexually transmitted infections (STI). Data on antimicrobial susceptibility testing patterns of are limited in local settings. We determined in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility and phenotypic profiles of isolated from STI/Outpatient Department (OPD) clinics. Read More

J Antimicrob Chemother 2022 Jun 23. Epub 2022 Jun 23.

Emergency Department, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.

PLoS Pathog 2022 Jun 17;18(6):e1010561. Epub 2022 Jun 17.

Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.

The Neisseria gonorrhoeae Type IV pilus is a multifunctional, dynamic fiber involved in host cell attachment, DNA transformation, and twitching motility. We previously reported that the N. gonorrhoeae pilus is also required for resistance against hydrogen peroxide-, antimicrobial peptide LL-37-, and non-oxidative, neutrophil-mediated killing. Read More

Euro Surveill 2022 Jun;27(24)

Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.

We describe a gonorrhoea case with ceftriaxone plus high-level azithromycin resistance. In April 2022, an Austrian heterosexual male was diagnosed with gonorrhoea after sexual intercourse with a female sex worker in Cambodia. Recommended treatment with ceftriaxone (1 g) plus azithromycin (1. Read More

Front Public Health 2022 31;10:842644. Epub 2022 May 31.

National Health Commission Key Laboratory of AIDS Immunology, National Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We sought to describe patterns of sexually transmitted co-infections and explore factors associated with increased acquisition of STIs among MSM.

Methods: We enrolled MSM in Shenyang, China, between July and December 2020 to test for four STIs, including human papillomavirus (HPV), (CT), (NG), and (TP). Read More

Trials 2022 Jun 16;23(1):495. Epub 2022 Jun 16.

Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Box 359931, 325 Ninth Ave, WA, 98104, Seattle, USA.

Background: Women in Africa face disproportionate risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition, accounting for more than half of new infections in Africa and similarly face a disproportionate burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Very high STI prevalence is being observed globally, especially among people taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention. Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (dPEP) has been proposed as an STI prevention strategy to reduce chlamydia, syphilis, and possibly gonorrhea, and trials are ongoing among cisgender men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women who are taking PrEP in high-income settings. Read More

ACS Med Chem Lett 2022 Jun 9;13(6):955-963. Epub 2022 May 9.

Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States.

Antibacterial resistance continues its devastation of available therapies. Novel bacterial topoisomerase inhibitors (NBTIs) offer one solution to this critical issue. Two series of amine NBTIs bearing tricyclic DNA-binding moieties as well as amide NBTIs with a bicyclic DNA-binding moiety were synthesized and evaluated against methicillin-resistant (MRSA). Read More

J Antimicrob Chemother 2022 Jun 16. Epub 2022 Jun 16.

Department of Clinical Laboratory, Tai'an City Central Hospital, Tai'an 271000, China.

Background: Only one additional specific SNP in blaTEM-135 in penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PPNG) isolates is required for TEM-135 to evolve into an ESBL that is capable of degrading all extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs).

Methods: Identification of the blaTEM-135 gene was achieved by performing a mismatch amplification mutation assay PCR. PPNG isolates were then genotyped using MLST and N. Read More

J Med Microbiol 2022 Jun;71(6)

Department of Urology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-1 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, 650-0017, Japan.

Azithromycin (AZM) is a therapeutic drug for sexually transmitted infections and is used for when first- and second-line drugs are not available. Recently, the susceptibility of against AZM has been decreasing worldwide. Azithromycin-resistance (AZM-R) rates among in Japan are increasing, and the gene mutations and epidemiological characteristics of AZM-R in have not been fully investigated. Read More

Infez Med 2022 1;30(2):247-253. Epub 2022 Jun 1.

Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran.

Bacterial vaginosis is a condition caused by changes in the vaginal microbial ecosystem and increases the risk of preterm delivery, premature rupture of membranes, endometritis, and weight loss of the baby. This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of gonococcal and non-gonococcal genital infections in women referred to clinics in Ilam, Iran. Two swab samples were taken from each patient using a sterile swab, one swab was placed in a THB medium for the culture of and the other in PBS buffer for PCR. Read More

Ann Dermatol Venereol 2022 Jun 8. Epub 2022 Jun 8.

Department of Dermatology, Genital Diseases and STIs unit, Saint-Louis Hospital, 1, avenue Claude Vellefaux, 75010 Paris, France.

Objective: Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) infection accounts for 10-35% of non-gonococcal non-chlamydial (NGNC) urethritis. However, given that most people infected with MG do not develop symptoms and that antimicrobial resistance is increasing worldwide, there is no evidence of any benefits of screening asymptomatic individuals. We conducted this study to describe MG screening practices and outcomes at a French Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) center in which MG testing was performed selectively and multiplex assays were not carried out [i. Read More

West J Emerg Med 2022 May 2;23(3):408-411. Epub 2022 May 2.

Henry Ford Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.

Study Objective: Emergency department (ED) testing for sexually transmitted infections (STI) in women is typically performed with a pelvic examination and an endocervical swab. However, vaginal swabs are effective for STI testing and the preferred specimen type according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The utility of using vaginal swabs in the ED for STI screening has not been thoroughly investigated. Read More

Microbiol Spectr 2022 Jun 9:e0275721. Epub 2022 Jun 9.

Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safetygrid.414107.7, Vienna, Austria.

Due to increasing rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae, alternative treatments should be considered. To assess rifampicin's potential as a gonorrhea treatment, we used mutations to estimate rifampicin resistance in Austrian N. gonorrhoeae isolates. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2022 Jun 7;22(1):524. Epub 2022 Jun 7.

UK Health Security Agency, London, UK.

Background: The European Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (Euro-GASP) performs annual sentinel surveillance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae susceptibility to therapeutically relevant antimicrobials across the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA). We present the Euro-GASP results from 2019 (26 countries), linked to patient epidemiological data, and compared with data from previous years.

Methods: Agar dilution and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) gradient strip methodologies were used to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility (using EUCAST clinical breakpoints, where available) of 3239 N. Read More

Lancet Microbe 2022 Jun 10;3(6):e452-e463. Epub 2022 May 10.

WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden; Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK. Electronic address:

Background: Genomic surveillance using quality-assured whole-genome sequencing (WGS) together with epidemiological and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) data is essential to characterise the circulating Neisseria gonorrhoeae lineages and their association to patient groups (defined by demographic and epidemiological factors). In 2013, the European gonococcal population was characterised genomically for the first time. We describe the European gonococcal population in 2018 and identify emerging or vanishing lineages associated with AMR and epidemiological characteristics of patients, to elucidate recent changes in AMR and gonorrhoea epidemiology in Europe. Read More

Microbiol Spectr 2022 Jun 1:e0222921. Epub 2022 Jun 1.

Division of Medical Virology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Towngrid.7836.a, Cape Town, South Africa.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common polymicrobial vaginal disorder that is associated with sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. Several studies have utilized broad-range 16S rRNA gene PCR assays with sequence analysis to characterize cervicovaginal bacterial communities of women with healthy and diseased conditions. With the high burden of BV and STIs among African women, there is a need for targeted PCR assays that can rapidly determine the true epidemiological profile of key cervical microbes, including BV-associated bacteria, and a need to explore the utility of such assays for microbiological diagnosis of BV. Read More

Biofilm 2022 Dec 20;4:100078. Epub 2022 May 20.

Institute for Biological Physics, University of Cologne, Zülpicherstr. 47a, 50647, Köln, Germany.

Transformation enables bacteria to acquire genetic information from extracellular DNA (eDNA). Close proximity between bacteria in colonies and biofilms may inhibit escape of eDNA from the colony but it also hinders its diffusion between donor and recipient. In this study, we investigate the mobility of DNA within colonies formed by , and relate it to transformation efficiency. Read More

Clin Infect Dis 2022 Jun 1. Epub 2022 Jun 1.

Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, USA.

Background: Neisseria gonorrhoeae is acquiring increasing resistance to available oral antibiotics, and current screening and treatment approaches have not decreased gonorrhea incidence. Although a gonorrhea-specific vaccine does not exist, N. gonorrhoeae shares much of its genome with Neisseria meningitidis, notably critical antigenic determinants including outer membrane vesicles (OMV). Read More

Microorganisms 2022 Apr 28;10(5). Epub 2022 Apr 28.

Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA.

is the causative agent of the sexually transmitted infection (STI) gonorrhea, with an estimated 87 million annual cases worldwide. predominantly colonizes the male and female genital tract (FGT). In the FGT, confronts fluctuating levels of nutrients and oxidative and non-oxidative antimicrobial defenses of the immune system, as well as the resident microbiome. Read More

Diagnostics (Basel) 2022 May 4;12(5). Epub 2022 May 4.

Institute of Microbiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.

is an important cause of sexually transmitted infections (STI) in Western countries. It is often asymptomatic, and thus, left untreated, and can have severe negative consequences, such as tubal infertility or adverse pregnancy outcomes. Other sexually transmitted microorganisms, such as and , as well as normal residents of the vaginal flora, such as genital mycoplasmas, also negatively impact human sexual and reproductive health. Read More

Int J STD AIDS 2022 May 27:9564624221103808. Epub 2022 May 27.

Public Medical Center (CMP), DPASS South Province, Nouméa, New Caledonia.

Background: The prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is high in New Caledonia (NC), but there are no data on (MG). However, the syndromic treatment of urethritis used in the territory includes a single dose of azithromycin, which could generate resistance in MG.

Methods: We recruited 217 men referred to the Noumea public medical centre (CMP) with signs of urethritis and meeting the inclusion criteria from May 2016 to March 2018. Read More

PLoS One 2022 26;17(5):e0266596. Epub 2022 May 26.

Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Institute of Public Health, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMUCo), Moshi, Tanzania.

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are common among young people in low- and middle-income countries and are associated with negative reproductive and pregnancy outcomes. Most of the studies have assessed HIV among adolescents and young adults, with limited information on occurrence of other STIs in this population. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of and risk factors associated with Herpes Simplex Virus-type 2 (HSV-2), Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), Syphilis and HIV infection among young adults attending Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs) in Mbeya, Tanzania. Read More

Int J STD AIDS 2022 May 24:9564624221100098. Epub 2022 May 24.

Department of Pathology, 12246The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.

Background: Screening for and is recommended for individuals at high-risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), while the role of screening is still unclear. We evaluated whether specimen pooling is an effective alternative for sexually transmitted infection testing during resource shortages.

Methods: This 2-year prospective study enrolled 135 asymptomatic patients from a community outreach site who identified as men who have sex with men. Read More