Sexually transmitted infections and pre-exposure prophylaxis: challenges and opportunities among men who have sex with men in the US

AIDS Res Ther. 2016 Jan 19:13:5. doi: 10.1186/s12981-016-0089-8. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) has shown high efficacy in preventing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) in several large clinical trials, and more recently in "real world" reports of clinical implementation and a PrEP demonstration project. Those studies also demonstrated high bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) incidence and raised the discussion of how PrEP may impact STI control efforts, especially in the setting of increasing Neisseria gonorrhoeae antimicrobial resistance and the increase in syphilis cases among MSM. Here, we discuss STIs as a driver of HIV transmission risk among MSM, and the potential opportunities and challenges for STI control afforded by expanded PrEP implementation among high-risk MSM.

Keywords: HIV; MSM; PrEP; STIs.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial
  • Gonorrhea / drug therapy
  • Gonorrhea / epidemiology
  • Gonorrhea / prevention & control
  • HIV Infections / epidemiology
  • HIV Infections / prevention & control*
  • Homosexuality, Male* / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Male
  • Mass Screening
  • Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis*
  • Risk Factors
  • Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Bacterial / epidemiology
  • Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Bacterial / prevention & control*
  • Syphilis / epidemiology
  • Syphilis / prevention & control
  • United States / epidemiology