Purpose of Review
Syphilis continues to cause morbidity and mortality worldwide. While syphilis infection is easily identifiable and treatable, rates of syphilis infection continue to increase among ...select populations in high-income countries and remain at endemic levels in low- and middle-income countries.
Recent Findings
World Health Organization recommended strategies have led to the dual elimination of mother-to-child transmission of syphilis and HIV in several countries; however, outbreaks among select populations need to be adequately addressed.
Summary
Continued vigilance and investment are needed to address syphilis worldwide. The epidemiology of syphilis differs in high-, and low- and middle-income countries.
Sexually transmitted infection (STI) incidence is on the rise in the United States. The increase is especially pronounced in adolescents (15-24 years of age). Despite making up only a quarter of the ...population, adolescents account for approximately half of new STIs in the United States every year. This review summarizes recent developments in the field of STIs, excluding HIV, in adolescents.
In this review, we examine the epidemiology, screening, management, and prevention of STIs in adolescents. STI rates in adolescents have been rising since 2014, with young women and MSM at particularly high risk. Barriers to STI screening for adolescents include confidentiality concerns and lack of access to health services. Prevention through STI vaccines represents a promising way to combat the epidemic.
STIs are a growing concern for adolescents. Routine screening and management are of critical importance. Furthermore, prevention efforts such as human papillomavirus vaccination should be prioritized. Much of the current literature on STIs does not address the unique nature of STIs in adolescents, and additional research into effective prevention and treatment strategies of STIs in adolescents is urgently needed.
We conducted a meta-analysis to summarize rates of sexually transmitted infections among men who have sex with men (MSM) on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV versus MSM not using PrEP. ...Incidence rate ratios showed that MSM using PrEP were 25.3 times more likely to acquire a Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection, 11.2 times more likely to acquire a Chlamydia trachomatis infection, and 44.6 times more likely to acquire a syphilis infection versus MSM not using PrEP.
Repurposing antibiotics to treat syphilis Stafylis, Chrysovalantis; Klausner, Jeffrey D
The Lancet infectious diseases,
April 2024, 2024-Apr, 2024-04-00, 20240401, Volume:
24, Issue:
4
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
The prevalence of congenital syphilis is also rising (425 cases per 100 000 live births) making the WHO's goal of elimination increasingly unattainable.3 Syphilis can cause serious medical ...complications and increases the risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV infection by two to five times.4 The current recommendation for the treatment of all early stages of syphilis by both WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is injectable benzathine penicillin G (BPG) administered intramuscularly as a single dose of 2·4 million units.5 More importantly, penicillin is the only recommended treatment for pregnant women, and if given to an infected mother early in pregnancy, prevents mother-to-child transmission. The authors used a composite measure of clinical, serological, and microbiological criteria to ensure accurate classification of the primary outcome. Presently, three additional treatment regimens (oral cefixime for 10 days, combination of ceftriaxone and doxycycline, and oral linezolid for 10 days) are under evaluation.
Rates of syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections are on the rise in the United States. The lesions of early syphilis can be mistaken for those of other infections and conditions, and ...syphilis should be suspected in all sexually active patients presenting with a new skin rash or an oral or genital lesion. Rapid diagnosis and treatment of syphilis as well as rapid identification and treatment of sexual contacts are needed to reverse the trend of increasing incidence. Available data indicate success in reducing acquisition of syphilis with doxycyclinepre- and postexposure prophylaxis. This article is based on a presentation by Jeffrey D. Klausner, MD, MPH, at the 2018 Clinical Conference at the National Ryan White Conference on HIV Care and Treatment in December 2018.
Physalia physalis, often referred to colloquially as Portuguese man-of-war or bluebottle jellyfish, is a jellyfish-like organism found in tropical and subtropical areas of the Pacific, Atlantic, and ...Indian Oceans. Most often, envenomation by P. physalis tentacles results in painful but self-resolving epidermal stings. We report on two clinic visits of a patient who suffered from worsening reactions to recurrent P. physalis envenomation. The first clinical episode involved urticaria and severe pruritus that was worse than the pruritus the patient had experienced upon envenomation in the past. The second episode involved an unusual bullous reaction. Further study into the compounds present in P. physalis venom may help elucidate the mechanism of the present case and other abnormal reactions to envenomation. Patients and providers who care for patients at risk for recurrent stings (e.g., surfers, fishermen) should be cognizant of the potential for worsening reactions to envenomation. Further study into therapies such as oral antihistamines and Aloe vera gel may uncover additional appropriate treatments for symptomatic relief of P. physalis envenomation.
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