Yury A Tyulenev
Central Research Institute of Epidemiology-Moscow, Russia
Title: Sexually transmitted infections among HIV-positive men who have sex with men in Moscow
Biography
Biography: Yury A Tyulenev
Abstract
Background: There is a strong association between HIV-infection and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in MSM all over the world. Social stigma leads to further expansion of various STIs among MSM in Russia. Yet studies are lacking on the prevalence of sexually transmitted pathogens among MSM attending medical clinics for a routine medical checkup in the country. Therefore, the goal of our research is to determine the prevalence of gonorrhea, chlamydial infection, M. genitalium-infection, and syphilis among HIV-positive MSM.
Methods: 381 MSM living with HIV were recruited through clinics and non-governmental organizations. To evaluate the prevalence of STIs three probes from each patient were collected: first void urine (FVU), pharyngeal and rectal swabs (PS and RS). The samples were tested for DNA of N. gonorrhoeae, C. trachomatis, M. genitalium, Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) I and II, T. pallidum in PCR.
Results: The prevalence of STDs in FVU: N. gonorrhoeae-1.6% (6/381), C. trachomatis-3.7% (14/381), M. genitalium-1.3% (5/381), T. pallidum-0.5% (2/381). In RS: N. gonorrhoeae-11.3% (43/381), C. trachomatis-18.4% (70/381), M. genitalium-4.7% (18/381), T. pallidum-3.4% (13/381). In PS: N. gonorrhoeae-6.8% (26/381), C. trachomatis-6.8% (26/381), M. genitalium-0.8% (3/381) and T. pallidum-4.2% (16/381).
Conclusions: The prevalence of STIs was high among HIV-positive MSM. Extragenital testing for STIs in MSM is a first priority issue as STD-cases were found in RS and PS more frequently (p=0.001). There is a strong need to promote an education campaign about sexual risk behavior that can prevent new cases of infection.