Evidence of an Outbreak of Syphilis Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in Rome

Prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Hepatitis C in a Survey of Female Sex Workers in the North-East of Italy

“…There is also some evidence that the incidence of syphilis is rising in Italy among men who have sex with men, as well as among heterosexuals [21, 22]. Our data confirm previous data by Smacchia and colleagues [23] with reference to the North-East of Italy: their data showed that rates of syphilis among FSWs from Eastern Europe are higher than those of African origin.…”

Anal cytological abnormalities and epidemiological correlates among men who have sex with men at risk for HIV-1 infection

“…In addition, our results may also depend on the characteristics of the participants. In fact, as already mentioned above, they showed a high risk for HIV-1 infection and other STI [15,16]. HPV 16 was the most prevalent type in the present study, confirming that this genotype is the most frequently detected in the anal canal of both men and women [18,20-23].…”

Syphilis with HIV in Florence, 2003–2009: a 7-year epidemiological study

“…Early sexual debut was also a common risk factor and four cases of acquired syphilis in 14-year-old Florentine girls were found between 2008 and 2009. Our study confirms several other reports of the higher incidence of syphilis in HIV-infected patients [1, 3, 4, 7, 8]. The reasons for this co-infection predominance are not completely clear, but may be related to the unprotected high-risk sexual behaviour common in the HIV-positive MSM population.…”

“…We therefore endorse the view that syphilis may herald the presence of HIV and thus allow earlier diagnosis of HIV [14]. Several studies have reported high prevalence rates for syphilis in HIV-infected MSM [1,3,4,7,8]. Moreover, HIV-infected MSM play an important role in bridging the transmission of HIV, syphilis and other STDs from their high-risk male sexual partners to low-risk female partners [1].…”