Syphilis

Less than 3% of patients tested for a bacterial STI in nearly a dozen EDs were also tested for HIV, demonstrating widespread nonadherence to a CDC recommendation, according to a study presented at IDWeek.

BOSTON — Low-risk patients with syphilis and a penicillin allergy label should be delabeled to avoid treatment failure, according to a poster presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting.

The Rwanda Ministry of Health confirmed six deaths and 26 cases of Marburg virus, a severe viral hemorrhagic virus in the same family as Ebola that is spread by bats.

An ED program flagging high-risk patients for optional syphilis testing more than doubled the number of infections the department detected, according to a study.

The number of congenital syphilis-related stillbirths increased annually from 2016 to 2022 in the U.S. while the proportion of cases resulting in stillbirth remained stable, researchers reported in Obstetrics & Gynecology.

A study of people in the United Kingdom revealed that COVID-19 vaccination may reduce the risk for heart attack and stroke — possibly because the vaccine prevents the cardiovascular effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection, researchers said.

The FDA has granted NOWDiagnostics authorization to market their at-home, over-the-counter antibody test that detects a potential syphilis infection, according to a press release.

In June, the CDC began recommending doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis — or doxy-PEP, as it is commonly known — as a prevention strategy for STIs in certain high-risk populations.

Only about half of gay or bisexual men received recommended sexually transmitted infection testing at their initial visit to a private, outpatient facility, researchers reported.

Menopause symptoms and their severity level appeared to differ among racial and ethnic groups regardless of socioeconomic status, according to study results published in Menopause.