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Despite increased use of pre-exposure prophylaxis PrEP in Germany, HIV infection rates are not declining and little is known about how this prevention method affects the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections STI among men who have sex with men MSM. We studied, in a large multicentre cohort, STI point prevalence, co-infection rates, anatomical location and influence of PrEP.
We screened 1, MSM in and , with At screening, participants The most common pathogen was MG in Among the participants with at least one STI, Infection prevalence was highest at anorectal site Globally, the number of diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections STI has steadily increased in recent years [ 1 ].
While STI diagnoses have increased across the general population, men who have sex with men MSM are disproportionately affected [ 2 ]. Other studies have not found such risk compensation but have described increased STI diagnoses as a consequence of improved case finding of asymptomatic infections when PrEP users are regularly screened [ 5 ].
In a meta-analysis of 88 studies examining gonorrhoea, chlamydia and syphilis among individuals using PrEP, the prevalence of these STI was In addition, most studies only tested for STI at one or two anatomical sites with a focus on gonorrhoea, chlamydia and syphilis, while ignoring other pathogens that are common among MSM such as the emerging sexually transmitted bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium MG.
