Top in ID: Doxy-PEP for STI prevention; SARS-CoV-2 antigens active months after infection
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Multiple studies presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, or CROI, supported doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections.
“This is really unusual,” CROI chair Landon Myer, MD, who was not involved in any of the research, said during a press conference. “It’s not often in public health that we would have [this] all at the same time. This really, to my mind, kind of seals the case” for what is called doxy-PEP.
However, there are still unanswered questions regarding doxy-PEP, including whether it will benefit cisgender women or have an impact on rates of gonorrhea.
It was the top story in infectious disease last week.
In another top story, researchers found SARS-CoV-2 antigens in patients with COVID-19 months or even years after they were infected. In samples from patients’ guts, the researchers found double-stranded RNA, which may suggest that the virus is active and replicating itself.
Read these and more top stories from CROI below:
New evidence ‘seals the case’ for doxy-PEP as STI prevention tool
As clinicians await national guidelines on its use, evidence continues to mount that doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis can help curtail the prolonged epidemic of sexually transmitted infections in the United States. Read more.
SARS-CoV-2 protein detectable in COVID-19 patients up to 14 months after illness
SARS-CoV-2 antigens persist in patients with COVID-19 for months to years after infection, according to data presented at CROI. Read more.
PrEP use up, HIV incidence down, data show
Data from the United States and Australia show that PrEP uptake and adherence has increased, and the incidence of HIV has declined in recent years. Read more.
Universal syphilis screening program increases testing, diagnoses among pregnant people
A universal opt-out ED syphilis screening program led to a significant increase in syphilis testing and case diagnoses among pregnant patients, researchers reported. Read more.
Semaglutide can reduce severity of liver disease in people with HIV, study shows
A low weekly dose of semaglutide can safely minimize what used to be called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in people with HIV, a first-of-its-kind study showed. Read more.