Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2007 Aug;83(5):397-9.
doi: 10.1136/sti.2007.025684. Epub 2007 Jun 7.

High rates of sexually transmitted infections in HIV positive homosexual men: data from two community based cohorts

Fengyi Jin  1 , Garrett P Prestage, Iryna Zablotska, Patrick Rawstorne, Susan C Kippax, Basil Donovan, Philip H Cunningham, David J Templeton, John M Kaldor, Andrew E Grulich
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

High rates of sexually transmitted infections in HIV positive homosexual men: data from two community based cohorts

Fengyi Jin et al. Sex Transm Infect. 2007 Aug.

Abstract

Background/objectives: Higher levels of sexual risk behaviours have been reported in HIV positive than in HIV negative homosexual men. In clinic based studies, higher rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have also been reported. We compared rates of common STIs between HIV positive and HIV negative homosexual men from two ongoing community based cohort studies in Sydney, Australia.

Methods: Participants in the two cohorts were recruited using similar community based strategies. They were interviewed face to face annually after enrollment. Comprehensive sexual health screening, including hepatitis A and B, syphilis, gonorrhoea, and chlamydia (in urethra and anus) was offered to participants in both cohorts.

Results: In participants in the HIV positive cohort, 75% were hepatitis A seropositive, 56% had serological evidence of previous or current hepatitis B infection, and 24% had evidence of vaccination against hepatitis B infection. 19% of men tested positive for syphilis and 4% had evidence of recent infections. Compared with men in the HIV negative cohort, after adjustment for age, HIV positive participants had significantly higher prevalence of previous or current hepatitis B infection, syphilis, and anal gonorrhoea.

Conclusion: This finding supports the need for frequent STI testing in HIV positive men to prevent morbidity and to decrease the risk of ongoing HIV transmission.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: none.

References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Increases in unsafe sex and rectal gonorrhea among men who have sex with men—San Francisco, California, 1994–1997. MMWR 19994845–48. - PubMed
    1. Donovan B, Bodsworth N J, Rohrsheim R.et al Increasing gonorrhoea reports—not only in London. Lancet 20003551908 - PubMed
    1. Grulich A. HIV risk behaviour in gay men: on the rise? BMJ 20003201487–1488. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Van de Ven P, Rawstorne P, Crawford J.et al Increasing proportions of Australian gay and homosexually active men engage in unprotected anal intercourse with regular and with casual partners. AIDS Care 200214335–341. - PubMed
    1. Prestage G, Mao L, Fogarty A.et al How has the sexual behaviour of gay men changed since the onset of AIDS: 1986–2003. Aust N Z J Public Health 200529530–535. - PubMed

Publication types