Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) affect a staggering number of people, with the World Health Organization estimating that more than 1 million curable STIs are acquired in people aged 15 to 49 across the globe each day. While many of these infections won’t show any symptoms, they can still spread, and may have devastating effects on others. That means finding new ways to track, prevent, and treat STIs is as important as ever – so what’s the latest in this area of research?
Rising syphilis cases – but hope may be on the horizon
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its 2022 STI surveillance report, it was far from a clean bill of health for the US. In particular, it was bad news for syphilis cases, which the data showed shot up by 80 percent over the past five years.
Most concerning were the statistics on congenital syphilis, which occurs when the infection is passed from a pregnant person to their unborn baby. Nearly every state reported having at least one case, and the total number of cases increased by 30.6 percent compared to the previous year.
A year later, the situation still doesn’t look great – the number of STIs in general remains high – but there’s some hope that things might be slowing down. The 2023 report (which was released in November 2024) showed that overall, syphilis cases had increased by 1 percent, an improvement on the double-digit increases in previous years.
It’s a similar story for congenital syphilis cases, which increased by 3 percent compared to the previous year – a significant drop in comparison to the 2021 to 2022 figure.
Still, the CDC is keen to emphasize that the STI epidemic in the US is far from over, stating, “While these data are encouraging, reportable STIs remain unacceptably high and disparities persist.”
Common vaginal condition could be an STI
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a condition that affects millions, and has a treatment – but it’s super common for it to come back within a year. One of the risk factors for that happening is having sex with a regular partner – so one recent study looked at what happened if they were treated too.
The results were so clear that the trial ended up finishing early; when both partners in monogamous male-female couples were simultaneously given antibiotic treatment, the risk of BV returning was around half of that of those where only the female partner was treated.
Not only does this mean a potentially more effective avenue of treatment, but it also suggests that BV has been an STI all along.
“We’ve suspected for a long time that it’s a sexually transmitted infection (STI), because it has a similar incubation period (after sex) to most STIs and is associated with the same risk factors as STIs like chlamydia, such as change in sexual partner and not using condoms,” said study author Dr Lenka Vodstrcil in a statement.
“Our trial has shown that reinfection from partners is causing a lot of the BV recurrence women experience, and provides evidence that BV is in fact an STI,” added fellow author Professor Catriona Bradshaw.
Promising new antibiotic for gonorrhea
A recent clinical trial has shown evidence that gepotidacin, a first-in-class antibiotic that’s already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a treatment for uncomplicated urinary tract infections, might also be an effective treatment for uncomplicated gonorrhea.
The phase 3 trial recruited 628 participants with suspected and/or laboratory-confirmed uncomplicated urogenital (meaning it affects the urinary tract, genitals, or rectum) gonorrhea and randomly split them into two groups. One group received gepotidacin tablets twice a day, while the other received an existing leading antibiotic treatment for gonorrhea.
Out of those who completed the study, 92.6 percent of the gepotidacin group were cured, and 91.2 percent in the current leading treatment group. These results mean that gepotidacin can be considered neither better nor worse than the other treatment.
Given that the trial also showed the antibiotic to have generally mild (though more frequent) side effects, gepotidacin could be seen as having some pretty strong potential as a new gonorrhea treatment, although there’s still a long road of research ahead before it has a chance at making it to the pharmacy.
A world-first routine gonorrhea vaccine
While a possible new treatment is good news, the eventual development of resistance to new antibiotics is generally thought to be inevitable (although some recent research disagrees) – so finding ways to prevent infection in the first place is key.
The most effective way to prevent STIs is with condoms – but that assumes that people have access to them, and that they’re being used correctly and consistently. Vaccines are a way to fill that potential gap, and in August this year, England is set to become the first country in the world to roll out a vaccination program for preventing gonorrhea. It’ll focus on groups at high risk of infection, including gay and bisexual men who have a recent history of multiple sexual partners or an STI.
The vaccine being used in this program isn’t actually specifically designed for gonorrhea – it’s actually a vaccine against Neisseria meningitidis group B, the bacteria that causes meningitis B. However, the bacteria behind gonorrhea are closely related to these bacteria – they’re in the same genus – which meant researchers suspected the meningitis B vaccine might also provide some protection against gonorrhea.
Those suspicions were correct; according to the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, a group of experts that advises the UK government on vaccines, studies have shown the meningitis B vaccine is between 32.7 to 42 percent effective at preventing gonorrhea.
It’s by no means a perfect solution. But with concerns about the increasing resistance of gonorrhea to antibiotics, even some protection is considered to be better than nothing, and research has suggested this new approach could prevent over 110,000 cases of gonorrhea over the next 10 years.
A new at-home test for three of the most common STIs
Testing is one of the key elements to preventing the spread of STIs, but it’s not necessarily accessible to all, and some people might avoid getting tested out of fear or embarrassment. That’s where at-home testing can be helpful – and as it just so happens, the FDA recently approved such a test for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis.
The test is the first of its kind that can be bought without a prescription and carried out entirely at home, and is designed for females with or without symptoms. It involves taking a vaginal swab and putting it into a powered PCR testing device, which then pings the results to an app after about 30 minutes.
It’s pretty nifty, but it’s not without problems. The kits aren’t cheap, and that limits their accessibility. “One of the other things I take into consideration when thinking about at-home tests is: you need to have the resources to A) afford the test and B) an address to even get a test sent to,” Dr Aniruddha Hazra, medical director for the UChicago Medicine Sexual Wellness Clinic, told The New York Times. “Some of these kits can be prohibitively expensive.”
Nevertheless, it’s still something of a step forward. “No one test is going to be the magic bullet,” added Hazra. “But the more tests we have – the more options we have for patients – all goes toward reducing the obstacles or barriers that folks face in terms of taking care of their sexual health.”
All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text, images, and links may be edited, removed, or added to at a later date to keep information current.
The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
Source Link: Gonorrhea Vaccines, New Antibiotics, And At-Home Testing: What’s The Latest In STI Research?
