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[Rapid diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections : Joint statement of DSTIG, RKI, and PEI, as well as the reference centers for HIV, HBV, and HCV and consulting laboratories for Chlamydia, gonococci, and Treponema pallidum]. Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz 2020; 63:1271-1286. [PMID: 32930821 DOI: 10.1007/s00103-020-03218-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
In February 2019, the fourth expert meeting on rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for sexually transmitted infections (STI) was held at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin. Novel technical developments and new aspects of RDT applications were discussed by representatives from the German STI Society (DSTIG); RKI; the Paul Ehrlich Institute; national reference centers for HIV, HBV, and HCV; and reference laboratories for Chlamydia, gonococci, and Treponema pallidum.As a result of this meeting, we present a revision of the joint statement on STI diagnostics with RDTs from 2017. The Regulation (EU) 2017/746 of the European Parliament and of the Council on in vitro diagnostic medical devices became effective in May 2017 and includes more stringent regulatory requirements for RDTs, mainly concerning conformity of manufacturing processes and performance characteristics of class D in vitro diagnostics (detection of HIV, HBV, HCV, and T. pallidum). Some RDTs for HIV, HCV, and T. pallidum have been evaluated in clinical studies and/or were WHO prequalified and may be used in low-threshold services. Among them are some HIV RDTs available and approved for self-testing. In addition, some HBV RDTs based on detection of HBs antigen (HBsAg) received WHO prequalification. However, false negative results may occur in samples with low HBsAg levels, as for instance in HIV-coinfected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy. For Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), antigen-based RDTs still do not allow reliable detection of infection. Only PCR-based CT/NG RDTs possess sufficient diagnostic accuracy to be used as point-of-care tests. Rapid PCR tests for NG, however, do not provide any information about antimicrobial resistance.
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Hofmann A, Bätzing J, Marcus U, Bremer V, Bartmeyer B. [How many people have been tested for HIV in the outpatient sector in Germany?]. Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz 2020; 63:1262-1270. [PMID: 32897408 DOI: 10.1007/s00103-020-03210-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Estimating the number of persons tested for HIV in Germany is challenging. HIV testing can be reimbursed by statutory health insurance (SHI) under certain circumstances. This study aimed to use SHI physician claims data to determine the number of persons tested in the outpatient sector. METHODS The Central Research Institute for Ambulatory Health Care in Germany (Zi) aggregated a dataset of persons tested for HIV among all SHI insurees. Descriptive analysis differentiated between screening and confirmatory HIV tests. Time trends were explored using linear regression. Insurees with confirmatory tests were compared to newly diagnosed HIV (ndHIV) cases. RESULTS Between 2010 and 2015, 1.7% of insurees were annually screened by SHI physicians. Screening tests increased significantly between 2010 and 2015. Among persons screened, 82.5% were women and of those 81.2% had a screening test during pregnancy. Confirmatory tests were performed on 16,034 insurees (0.3% with screening test; 51.2% men). A total of 18,446 (82.8% men) ndHIV cases were notified between 2010 and 2015. CONCLUSIONS For the first time, the number of persons with HIV tests in the SHI sector was estimated. The high number of screened women is due to tests during pregnancy. The higher number of ndHIV cases indicates an unknown number of persons tested at other testing sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Hofmann
- Abteilung für Infektionsepidemiologie, Fachgebiet HIV/AIDS und andere sexuell oder durch Blut übertragbare Infektionen, Robert Koch-Institut, Seestr. 10, 13353, Berlin, Deutschland. .,Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Deutschland.
| | - Jörg Bätzing
- Zentralinstitut für die kassenärztliche Versorgung in Deutschland (Zi), Berlin, Deutschland
| | - Ulrich Marcus
- Abteilung für Infektionsepidemiologie, Fachgebiet HIV/AIDS und andere sexuell oder durch Blut übertragbare Infektionen, Robert Koch-Institut, Seestr. 10, 13353, Berlin, Deutschland
| | - Viviane Bremer
- Abteilung für Infektionsepidemiologie, Fachgebiet HIV/AIDS und andere sexuell oder durch Blut übertragbare Infektionen, Robert Koch-Institut, Seestr. 10, 13353, Berlin, Deutschland
| | - Barbara Bartmeyer
- Abteilung für Infektionsepidemiologie, Fachgebiet HIV/AIDS und andere sexuell oder durch Blut übertragbare Infektionen, Robert Koch-Institut, Seestr. 10, 13353, Berlin, Deutschland
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Schwerdtfeger C, Spinner C. [General practitioners contribution to sexual health]. MMW Fortschr Med 2020; 162:52-59. [PMID: 32221868 DOI: 10.1007/s15006-020-0009-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christiane Schwerdtfeger
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin II, Klinikum rechts der Isar der TU München, Ismaninger Str. 22, D-81675, München, Deutschland.
| | - Christoph Spinner
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin II, Klinikum rechts der Isar der TU München, Deutschland
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Hahn A, Podbielski A, Meyer T, Zautner AE, Loderstädt U, Schwarz NG, Krüger A, Cadar D, Frickmann H. On detection thresholds-a review on diagnostic approaches in the infectious disease laboratory and the interpretation of their results. Acta Trop 2020; 205:105377. [PMID: 32007448 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Diagnostic testing in the infectious disease laboratory facilitates decision-making by physicians at the bedside as well as epidemiological assessments and surveillance at study level. Problems may arise if test results are uncritically considered as being the same as the unknown true value. To allow a better understanding, the influence of external factors on the interpretation of test results is introduced with the example of prevalence, followed by the presentation of strengths and weaknesses of important techniques in the infectious disease laboratory like microscopy, cultural diagnostics, serology, mass spectrometry, nucleic acid amplification and hypothesis-free metagenomic sequencing with focus on basic, high-technology and potential future approaches. Special problems like multiplex testing as well as uncertainty of test evaluations, if no gold standard is available, are also stressed with a final glimpse on emerging future technologies for the infectious disease laboratory. In the conclusions, suitability for point-of-care-testing and field laboratory applications is summarized. The aim is to illustrate the limitations of diagnostic accuracy to both clinicians and study planners and to stress the importance of close cooperation with experts in laboratory disciplines so as to avoid potentially critical misunderstandings due to inappropriate interpretation of diagnostic test results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Hahn
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Andreas Podbielski
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Thomas Meyer
- Department of Dermatology, St. Josef Hospital, Bochum, Germany
| | - Andreas Erich Zautner
- Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Universitätsmedizin Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ulrike Loderstädt
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Andreas Krüger
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Cadar
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hagen Frickmann
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany; Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
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Hahn A, Hinz R, Meyer T, Loderstädt U, Herchenröder O, Meyer CG, Schwarz NG, Frickmann H. Diagnostics as Prevention - A Rapid Testing-Based Strategy of Sex Workers against Sexual HIV Exposure. Eur J Microbiol Immunol (Bp) 2018; 8:47-52. [PMID: 29997911 PMCID: PMC6038536 DOI: 10.1556/1886.2018.00007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction German sex workers have illegally established a prevention strategy, which consists of testing potential sexual partners with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-specific rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) prior to engaging in unprotected sexual intercourse eventually performed in case of a negative test result. Based on a recently established modeling approach, the effectiveness of this strategy regarding the risk of HIV exposure was compared with protection provided by condom use. Methods Based on a literature search, the following assumptions were used for the calculations: an averaged 80% exposure risk reduction with a condom used during sexual intercourse, usage of a well-characterized 4th-generation HIV RDT, and a 10 day post-infection period without any measurable viral load in peripheral blood followed by a sero-conversion period of about 3 weeks with 12.3% test sensitivity (antigen-specific) and only afterwards 97.3% (antibody-specific) test sensitivity. Results In most constellations, the HIV exposure risk in case of RDT-based prevention was lower than with condom use. Conclusions: The RDT-based HIV exposure prevention as established by sex workers is effective in most situations. A notable weakness of the strategy is the RDTs' poor sensitivity in spite of a high transmission risk during the seroconversion stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Hahn
- Institute for Microbiology, Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Rebecca Hinz
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Meyer
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ulrike Loderstädt
- Institute for Hygiene and Environment, City of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ottmar Herchenröder
- Institute for Experimental Gene Therapy and Cancer Research, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Christian G Meyer
- Duy Tan University, Đà Nີng, Vietnam.,Institute for Tropical Medicine, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Norbert Georg Schwarz
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hagen Frickmann
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.,Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany
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Schnelltest-Diagnostik sexuell übertragbarer Infektionen in niedrigschwelligen Einrichtungen. Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz 2016; 60:245-254. [DOI: 10.1007/s00103-016-2496-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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[Human immunodeficiency virus: position of Blood Working Group of the Federal Ministry of Health]. Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz 2016; 58:1351-70. [PMID: 26487384 DOI: 10.1007/s00103-015-2255-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Transfus Med Hemother 2016; 43:203-22. [PMID: 27403093 PMCID: PMC4924471 DOI: 10.1159/000445852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 147] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2016] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
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Kramer SC, Schmidt AJ, Berg RC, Furegato M, Hospers H, Folch C, Marcus U. Factors associated with unprotected anal sex with multiple non-steady partners in the past 12 months: results from the European Men-Who-Have-Sex-With-Men Internet Survey (EMIS 2010). BMC Public Health 2016; 16:47. [PMID: 26781647 PMCID: PMC4717565 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-016-2691-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2015] [Accepted: 01/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Practising unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) with high numbers of partners is associated with increased risk for acquiring and transmitting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Our aim was to describe factors associated with UAI with multiple partners in a large sample of MSM from 38 European countries recruited for an online survey in 2010. METHODS Data are from the European Men-Who-Have-Sex-With-Men Internet Survey (EMIS). The analysis was restricted to men who reported any anal sex with a non-steady partner in the past 12 months, and who were either never diagnosed with HIV, or who had been diagnosed with HIV more than 12 months ago, reported a detectable viral load and did not exclusively serosort (n = 91,477). Multivariable logistic regression was used to compare men reporting UAI with four or more (4+) non-steady partners to two comparison groups: a) no UAI with non-steady partners, and b) UAI with 1-3 non-steady partners. RESULTS Overall, 9.6% of the study population reported UAI with 4+ partners in the past 12 months. In both models, factors consistently associated with this behaviour were: having been diagnosed with HIV, lower educational levels, use of nitrite inhalants, drugs associated with sex and parties, or erectile dysfunction drugs in the past 4 weeks, using sex-on-site venues in the past 4 weeks, buying or selling sex in the past 12 months, having experienced physical violence due to sexual attraction to men in the past 12 months, reporting sexual happiness, being out to all or almost all of one's acquaintances, and knowing that ART reduces HIV transmissibility. CONCLUSIONS Effective antiretroviral treatment drastically reduces HIV transmission for men diagnosed with HIV, irrespective of partner numbers. Apart from reducing partner numbers or increasing condom use no other recommendations are currently in place to reduce the risk of HIV acquisition and onward transmission for HIV-negative men practicing UAI with multiple partners. A range of factors were identified as associated with UAI with four or more partners which allow the strengthening and targeting of prevention strategies to reduce HIV transmission risks resulting from condomless anal intercourse with multiple partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah C Kramer
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Axel Jeremias Schmidt
- Sigma Research, Department of Social and Environmental Health Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, WC1H 9SH, London, UK.
| | - Rigmor C Berg
- Department of Evidence-Based Health Services, Norwegian Knowledge Center for the Health Services, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Martina Furegato
- HIV & STI Department, Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control, Public Health England, London, UK.
| | - Harm Hospers
- University College Maastricht, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
| | - Cinta Folch
- Centre for Sexually Transmitted Infection and AIDS Epidemiological Studies of Catalonia (CEEISCAT), Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Ulrich Marcus
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
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