BACKGROUND: The current prevalence of Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection is notably high, with individuals afflicted by HSV-2 facing recurrent outbreaks, challenges in achieving remission, and an elevated risk of HIV infection. This study aims to investigate the relationship between alcohol consumption and HSV-2 infection.
METHODS: The data for this study were sourced from 7257 participants who took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2009 to 2016. The target population consisted of adults with reliable HSV-2 plasma results, and alcohol consumption was assessed using self-report methods. We evaluated the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the association between alcohol consumption and HSV-2 infection. These estimations were derived from a logistic regression model that was adjusted for key confounding factors. Subgroup analysis specifically focused on alcohol consumption, and the interaction between HSV-2 infection, alcohol consumption, and other variables was assessed through stratified analysis.
RESULTS: Among the 7,257 participants included, 89.8% (6,518/7,257) reported varying levels of alcohol consumption history. Compared to individuals who never drinkers, the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for former drinkers, light drinkers, moderate drinkers, and heavy drinkers were 1.79 (95% CI: 1.34-2.4, p < 0.001), 1.38 (95% CI: 1.07-1.77, p = 0.012), 1.49 (95% CI: 1.15-1.94, p = 0.003), and 1.47 (95% CI: 1.14-1.9, p = 0.003), respectively. The results remained stable in subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses.
CONCLUSIONS: Current research indicates that individuals with a history of alcohol consumption exhibit a higher risk of HSV-2 infection compared to those who have never drinkers.

BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) may cause substantial individual suffering and a large economic burden for society. This study examined the seroprevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium, herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2, and several human papillomaviruses (HPV) in the Swedish population over time.
METHODS: The study population consisted of 30-year-old women attending maternity care, and 50 year-old men and women attending health check-ups, from 1975 to 2018. Antibody status was determined by multiplex serology and quantified using median reporter fluorescence intensity (MFI).
RESULTS: A total of 891 samples were analysed (519 from 30-year-old women, 186 from 50 year-old women and 186 from 50 year-old men). Of these, 41.5% showed seropositivity for Chlamydia trachomatis, 16.7% for Mycoplasma genitalium, 70.5% for HSV-1, 14.9% for HSV-2, 13.2% for high-risk HPV, and 8.3% for low-risk HPV. Seropositivity for Mycoplasma genitalium, HSV-1 and especially Chlamydia trachomatis decreased over time.
CONCLUSIONS: There was a decrease over time in Chlamydia trachomatis seroprevalence, probably due to contact tracing, testing and early treatment; this might also have affected Mycoplasma genitalium seroprevalence. Despite the reduction, seroprevalences are still high, so continued and new efforts to reduce STI incidence are essential.

OBJECTIVE: There is a high prevalence and incidence rate of asymptomatic sexually transmitted infections (STIs) during pregnancy in adolescent girls and young women in Africa. The association between STIs and pregnancy outcomes in a hyperepidemic HIV setting has not been well described.
METHODS: Pregnant women, HIV-1 negative and <28 weeks\' gestation at three primary health clinics in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa were enrolled from February 2017 to March 2018. Vaginal swabs collected at the first and later antenatal visits were stored and retrospectively tested for HSV-2, Trichomonas vaginalis, Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae at the end of the study. The association between STIs detected at first and later antenatal visits and pregnancy outcome was assessed using multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for maternal age and treatment received for symptomatic STIs.
RESULTS: Testing positive Mycoplasma genitalium at the first antenatal visit was significantly associated with low birth weight (odds ratio [OR] 5.22; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10-15.98). Testing positive for T. vaginalis at the repeat visit was significantly associated with preterm births (OR 2.37; 95% CI: 1.11-5.03), low birth weight (OR 2.56; 1.16-5.63) and a composite adverse pregnancy outcome (OR 2.11; 95% CI: 1.09-4.08). Testing positive for HSV-2 at the repeat visit was also likely associated with experiencing a preterm birth or any adverse pregnancy outcome (OR 3.39; 95% CI: 0.86-13.3) (P = 0.096).
CONCLUSIONS: Among predominantly asymptomatic STIs, M. genitalium detected at baseline visit was significantly associated with low birth weight, while T. vaginalis detected at the repeat visit in later pregnancy was significantly associated with preterm birth. Further research is warranted to study the impact of etiological testing of STIs at more than one antenatal visit and empirical treatment on pregnancy outcomes.

UNASSIGNED: Genital ulcer disease (GUD) often creates diagnostic difficulty in developing countries like India, with limited resources available in the health-care system. The changing etiology in GUDs over the years makes it imperative that a correct diagnosis is made to establish appropriate treatment and formulate awareness programs.
UNASSIGNED: This study was done to determine the recent trends in the demographic parameters, clinical presentations, etiology of GUDs, and their association with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
UNASSIGNED: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2021 to August 2022 at the Dermatology Outpatient Department in our hospital. All the patients who presented with GUDs were included after written informed consent. The diagnosis of GUD was confirmed by thorough clinical examination and appropriate laboratory test. Data were entered and analyzed using IBM SPSS software.
UNASSIGNED: Out of 135 cases of GUDs, the majority were males (79%). The most common age group was 21-30 years, with a mean age of 35.23 ± 14.98 years. Most of the patients were heterosexual (90%). Multiple sexual partners were found in 40% of cases. Herpes genitalis was the most common GUD (59%), followed by syphilis (15%). HIV infection was found in 6.6% of cases.
UNASSIGNED: This study represents the increasing burden of viral GUDs compared to the last three decades. The ulcerative sexually transmitted infection facilitates the transmission of HIV. In this HIV era, there is a need for increased efforts toward acknowledgment, safe sexual practices, periodic screening, and sexual health awareness programs in the high-risk population.

UNASSIGNED: Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) continue to be a major public health problem with significant burden on the society. Some of this can be attributed to our lack of knowledge about the change of disease spectrum from time to time.
UNASSIGNED: The aim of the study was to understand the changing pattern of STDs over the past 17 years (2003-2019).
UNASSIGNED: It was a retrospective study where data of patients who attended our Suraksha Clinic from 2003 to 2019 were collected. All the cases were subjected to detailed history, examination, and investigations done to rule out STDs.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 2436 patients were included in the study. The majority of the patients were in the age group of 18-30 years. The most frequent diagnosis was vulvovaginal candidiasis, followed by herpes genitalis. 3.3% of patients had human immunodeficiency virus. 4.8% of patients were men sex men (MSM). Overall, viral STDs were most common, followed by fungal and bacterial. To understand the changing trends, data were divided into different phases according to the time period. During Phase 1 (2003-2007), viral STDs were most common, followed by bacterial and fungal. However, this trend changed in Phase 4 (2016-2019) and fungal STDs became most common.
UNASSIGNED: Despite numerous health initiatives, the number of STD cases is rising day by day. The increasing number of MSM over the study period necessitates dedicated efforts to address the health needs of this population. The National AIDS Control Organization should take necessary measures and steps to address the overall increase in STDs considering recent trends showing a drop in bacterial STDs and an increase in fungal and viral STDs.

BACKGROUND: Sexually active older adults are often more susceptible to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) due to various health conditions (especially a weakened immune system) and low use of condoms. We aimed to assess the global, regional, and national burdens and trends of HIV and other STIs in older adults from 1990 to 2019.
METHODS: We retrieved data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 on the incidence and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) of HIV and other STIs (syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomoniasis, and genital herpes) for older adults aged 60-89 years in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Estimated annual percentage changes in the age-standardised incidence and DALY rates of HIV and other STIs, by age, sex, and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), were calculated to quantify the temporal trends. Spearman correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between age-standardised rates and SDI.
RESULTS: In 2019, among older adults globally, there were an estimated 77 327 (95% uncertainty interval 59 443 to 97 648) new cases of HIV (age-standardised incidence rate 7·6 [5·9 to 9·6] per 100 000 population) and 26 414 267 (19 777 666 to 34 860 678) new cases of other STIs (2607·1 [1952·1 to 3440·8] per 100 000). The age-standardised incidence rate decreased by an average of 2·02% per year (95% CI -2·38 to -1·66) for HIV and remained stable for other STIs (-0·02% [-0·06 to 0·01]) from 1990 to 2019. The number of DALYs globally in 2019 was 1 905 099 (95% UI 1 670 056 to 2 242 807) for HIV and 132 033 (95% UI 83 512 to 225 630) for the other STIs. The age-standardised DALY rate remained stable from 1990 to 2019, with an average change of 0·97% (95% CI -0·54 to 2·50) per year globally for HIV but decreased by an annual average of 1·55% (95% CI -1·66 to -1·43) for other STIs. Despite the global decrease in the age-standardised incidence rate of HIV in older people from 1990 to 2019, many regions showed increases, with the largest increases seen in eastern Europe (average annual change 17·84% [14·16 to 21·63], central Asia (14·26% [11·35 to 17·25]), and high-income Asia Pacific (7·52% [6·54 to 8·51]). Regionally, the age-standardised incidence and DALY rates of HIV and other STIs decreased with increases in the SDI.
CONCLUSIONS: Although the incidence and DALY rates of HIV and STIs either declined or remained stable from 1990 to 2019, there were regional and demographic disparities. Health-care providers should be aware of the effects of ageing societies and other societal factors on the risk of HIV and other STIs in older adults, and develop age-appropriate interventions. The disparities in the allocation of health-care resources for older adults among regions of different SDIs should be addressed.
BACKGROUND: Natural Science Foundation of China, Fujian Province\'s Third Batch of Flexible Introduction of High-Level Medical Talent Teams, Science and Technology Innovation Team (Tianshan Innovation Team) Project of Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, Cure Alzheimer\'s Fund, Helse Sør-Øst, the Research Council of Norway, Molecule/VitaDAO, NordForsk Foundation, Akershus University Hospital, the Civitan Norges Forskningsfond for Alzheimers Sykdom, the Czech Republic-Norway KAPPA programme, and the Rosa Sløyfe/Norwegian Cancer Society & Norwegian Breast Cancer Society.

BACKGROUND: Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a common infection, affecting the majority of the population by age of 50. Recurrent symptomatic outbreaks, experienced by a minority, have significant psychological and psychosexual effects. The varicella zoster virus (VZV), resembling HSV, shows potential for a functional cure via vaccination. This study seeks to investigate if there is an association between low VZV antibody levels and recurrent HSV outbreaks.
METHODS: A total of 110 patients with symptomatic and asymptomatic HSV were recruited during their sexual health screen. Serum samples were collected between Aug 2019 - July 2022; breaks in the study occurred due to COVID. The primary outcome measure was the serological status of HSV and VZV IgG titre level.
RESULTS: The average age was 37.3 years (range 21-65 years). For people with asymptomatic genital HSV2 the average VZV IgG titre was 2373.9 IU/mL (n = 17); and 1219.0 IU/mL for the symptomatic group (n = 67); p ≤ 0.00001), with similar results for HSV1.
CONCLUSIONS: There is a strong association between average higher varicella-zoster virus (VZV) IgG level and being an asymptomatic carrier of herpes simplex sirus (HSV)1&2. A feasibility study to assess the use of the VZV vaccine as a treatment of HSV is planned.

To assess the seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2 in patients infected with HIV in Nigeria.
Cross-sectional design from January to June 2019.
Federal Teaching Hospital, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
A total of 276 patients with HIV were analysed using ELISA method for the presence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 specific IgG antibodies.
Fisher\'s exact test was used to determine the association between the seroprevalence of HSV and demographic variables (statistically significant=p value ≤0.05).
Totally, 212 (76.8%) and 155 (56.2%) patients with HIV were seropositive for HSV-1 and HSV-2 IgG antibodies, respectively. The seroprevalence of HSV-1 was significantly higher than the HSV-2 in patients with HIV (p value <0.0001). HSV-1 and HSV-2 seroprevalence were higher in patients aged more than 30 years. The seroprevalence of HSV-1 was significantly higher (p=0.01) in females (82.4%, 131/159) than males (69.2%, 81/117), but there was no significant difference in seroprevalence of HSV-2 in females (57.9%, 92/159) compared with males (53.8%, 63/117) (p=0.51). Professional drivers had a higher seroprevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 and there was a significant association between the occupation and the HSV-1 and HSV-2 seropositivity (p>0.05). The seroprevalence of HSV-1 was significantly higher in the singles (87.4%, 90/103) than the married patients with HIV (p=0.001). However, HSV-2 seroprevalence was significantly higher in the married patients with HIV (63.6%, 110/173) (p=0.001).
Prevalence of 76.8% for HSV-1 and 56.2% for HSV-2 among patients with HIV was seen. The HSV-1 was significantly higher in the singles while HSV-2 seroprevalence was significantly higher in the married patients with HIV with HSV-1 and HSV-2 coinfection rate of 7.6%. This study became very imperative to provide an important insight into the hidden dynamics of HSV infections.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests HSV-2 infection increases HIV acquisition risk and HIV/HSV-2 coinfection increases transmission risk of both infections. We analysed the potential impact of HSV-2 vaccination in South Africa, a high HIV/HSV-2 prevalence setting.
METHODS: We adapted a dynamic HIV transmission model for South Africa to incorporate HSV-2, including synergistic effects with HIV, to evaluate the impact of: (i) cohort vaccination of 9-year-olds with a prophylactic vaccine that reduces HSV-2 susceptibility; (ii) vaccination of symptomatically HSV-2-infected individuals with a therapeutic vaccine that reduces HSV shedding.
RESULTS: An 80% efficacious prophylactic vaccine offering lifetime protection with 80% uptake could reduce HSV-2 and HIV incidence by 84.1% (95% Credibility Interval: 81.2-86.0) and 65.4% (56.5-71.6) after 40 years, respectively. This reduces to 57.4% (53.6-60.7) and 42.1% (34.1-48.1) if efficacy is 50%, 56.1% (53.4-58.3) and 41.5% (34.2-46.9) if uptake is 40%, and 29.4% (26.0-31.9) and 24.4% (19.0-28.7) if protection lasts 10 years. An 80% efficacious therapeutic vaccine offering lifetime protection with 40% coverage among symptomatic individuals could reduce HSV-2 and HIV incidence by 29.6% (21.8-40.9) and 26.4% (18.5-23.2) after 40 years, respectively. This reduces to 18.8% (13.7-26.4) and 16.9% (11.7-25.3) if efficacy is 50%, 9.7% (7.0-14.0) and 8.6% (5.8-13.4) if coverage is 20%, and 5.4% (3.8-8.0) and 5.5% (3.7-8.6) if protection lasts 2 years.
CONCLUSIONS: Prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines offer promising approaches for reducing HSV-2 burden and could have important impact on HIV in South Africa and other high prevalence settings.
BACKGROUND: WHO, NIAID.

UNASSIGNED: Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a public health challenge, and the epidemiological profile is variable by geographical region and distinct from that of other diseases. Accurate knowledge of emerging disease trends is crucial for formulating effective control strategies.
UNASSIGNED: The aim and objective of this study were to identify the changing scenario and emerging trends of STDs in Davangere, Karnataka, by evaluating patients attending a tertiary care center.
UNASSIGNED: A tertiary care-based retrospective study was conducted by analyzing the clinical records of the attendees presenting to the STD clinic at Chigateri General Hospital affiliated to JJM Medical College in Davangere, Karnataka, for a period of 5 years from January 2015 to December 2019. The collected data were analyzed and statistically compared with other studies.
UNASSIGNED: Out of the 614 patients studied, the male-to-female ratio was 2:1, with 30-39 age groups being most affected. Eighty-eight percent of patients were married, with 36.64% giving a history of extramarital contact. Homosexual and bisexual contacts were observed to be 5.21% and 0.65%, respectively. Viral STDs affected nearly half of the patients (49.51%), followed by fungal (28.88%), bacterial (22.63%), and others (3.1%). The most common STD observed was herpes genitalis as seen in 101 (24.48%) patients, followed by candidal balanoposthitis (17.1%). Thirty-three (5.7%) patients were diagnosed with more than one STD. Of these patients, 13 were seropositive for HIV, resulting in a prevalence of 2.12%.
UNASSIGNED: The epidemiological profile of STDs is ever changing, and this study found an increase in viral and fungal STDs and downward trend of bacterial STDs comparable to that of studies from other regions.