Syphilis and Chlamydia trachomatis in Males from Northern Mexico with HIV-AIDS

Abstract

Introduction: Subjects with HIV, particularly those with high-risk sexual practices, such as men who have sex with men (MSM), frequently present concurrent infections of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). Therefore, in this study, we determined the frequency of Syphilis, Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), and Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) infections in a group of HIV-seropositive males in HIV control and surveillance programs of the Region Laguna, Mexico. Methods: Ninety-seven HIV-seropositive males were included, with whom a peripheral blood sample was taken to determine infection by syphilis, in addition to a urethral-scrape sample for the detection of infections due to CT, NG, and UU. A questionnaire was applied to all participants to take their sociodemographic variables, and also their clinical files were reviewed to obtain their historical antecedents of other STIs. Results: The subjects included in the study, 69% were MSM. The results indicated that 12.36% of the samples were positive for STIs, which 10.3% were infections because of syphilis and 2.06% due to CT; none of the samples were positive for NG or UU. Conclusions: The results reflect the relevance of evaluating the frequency of STI in subjects infected with HIV in this population, in that co-infections can lead to an unfavorable evolution.