Prevalence and trends of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in female sex workers and men who have sex with men in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Chlamydia trachomatis infection can cause a significant disease burden in high-risk populations. This study aimed to assess the overall prevalence of C. trachomatis infection, and determine the long-term trends and geographic distribution of this infection among female sex workers (FSWs) and men who have sex with men (MSM) in China. METHODS: The PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Data and VIP databases were searched from 1 January 1990 through 30 April 2023. Publications in which C. trachomatis infection was detected using nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) were included. The Q test and I2 statistics were used to assess the heterogeneity between studies. A random-effect model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of C. trachomatis infection. Subgroup, meta-regression, and sensitivity analyses were performed to explore the sources of heterogeneity. Publication bias was evaluated using Egger's test. Trend analysis of the prevalence was performed using the Jonckheere-Terpstra trend test method. RESULTS: Sixty-one studies were eligible for inclusion (including 38 for FSWs and 23 for MSM). The pooled prevalence of C. trachomatis infection was 19.5% (95% CI: 16.4, 23.0) among FSWs and 12.7% (95% CI: 9.2, 17.7) in the rectum, 6.4% (95% CI: 5.3, 7.8) in the urethra and 1.3% (95% CI: 0.8, 2.1) in the oropharynx from MSM in China. The subgroup analyses showed that the sample size, study period, study region, specimen collection type, molecular diagnosis method, and recruitment site could explain some heterogeneity among studies of FSWs, and the publication language, study period, study region, molecular diagnosis method, and specimen collection anatomical site could explain some heterogeneity among studies of MSM. From 1998 to 2004, 2005 to 2009, 2010 to 2015, and 2016 to 2021, the pooled prevalence of C. trachomatis infection among FSWs were 30.3%, 19.9%, 21.4%, and 11.3%, respectively. For MSM, the pooled prevalence from 2003 to 2009, 2010 to 2015, and 2016 to 2022 were 7.8%, 4.7%, and 6.5%, respectively. However, no overall decline in the prevalence of C. trachomatis infection was observed among FSWs (z = -1.51, P = 0.13) or MSM (z = -0.71, P = 0.48) in China. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of C. trachomatis infection was high in these two high-risk populations in China. The findings of this study provide evidence for the formulation of effective surveillance and screening strategies for the prevention and control of C. trachomatis infection among these two specific populations.

Ceftriaxone-Resistant Gonorrhea - China, 2022.

Gonorrhea is a widespread sexually transmitted infection; in 2022, China reported 96,313 cases of gonorrhea, making it the fourth most common notifiable infectious disease in the country after viral hepatitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, and syphilis. The rise in prevalence in antimicrobial-resistant strains, particularly the international spread of ceftriaxone-resistant clones, poses a formidable challenge to gonorrhea control. The China Gonococcal Resistance Surveillance Program (China-GRSP), established in 1987 and covering 19 of 34 provincial-level administrative units, continuously monitors gonococcal antimicrobial resistance. In 2022, 13 China-GRSP sentinel sites collected 2,804 gonococcal isolates, representing 2.9% of all cases reported in China, and 4.1% of cases reported in the 13 participating provinces. The prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae resistance to ceftriaxone was 8.1%, approximately three times the 2017 rate of 2.9%; five provinces reported >10% ceftriaxone resistance. Resistance prevalences to cefixime, azithromycin, tetracycline, penicillin, and ciprofloxacin were 16.0%, 16.9%, 77.1%, 77.8%, and 97.6%, respectively. Only one case of spectinomycin resistance was reported. These data highlight a substantial increase in ceftriaxone resistance from 2017 to 2022. Effective diagnosis and treatment and appropriate management of sex partners are essential to protect the health of infected persons and prevent ongoing transmission of gonorrhea, including transmission of resistant strains. Identifying reasons for the spread of ceftriaxone-resistant N. gonorrhoeae in China could guide strategies, such as antibiotic stewardship, to mitigate the rising resistance rate and curb the spread of resistant strains.

Investigation on the diagnosis quality and influencing factors of syphilis cases reported by medical facilities in Inner Mongolia / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective　The study aims to investigate the diagnosis quality and accuracy of syphilis cases reported by medical facilities in Inner Mongolia, understand possible problems and influencing factors in reporting and diagnosis, providing evidence for the better formulation of syphilis control and prevention. Methods　Cross-sectional survey was conducted with 2 counties sampled randomly from 12 municipals of Inner Mongolia, different medical facilities were covered. Syphilis cases reported from July 2019 to June 2020 in medical institutions of different categories were sampled and checked. The quality and accuracy of syphilis case reporting were evaluated according to the identifiers in "Syphilis Diagnosis (WS 273-2018)" and "National STD Case Reporting Quality Management Scheme (2018)". In addition, the basic information of medical institutions and the implementation of syphilis detection in laboratories were investigated, and the physicians who reported the case first were interviewed to understand their mastery of syphilis diagnosis and reporting, thus analyzing the major factors influencing the accuracy of reports. Results　The reporting rate of syphilis in medical institutions in Inner Mongolia was 99.04% (311/314), the missing-report rate was 0.96% (3/314), the timely reporting rate was 98.05% (1 659/1 692), the completeness rate was 99.64% (1 686/1 692), the correct rate was 99.35% (1 681/1 692), the accuracy rate of internet-based input was 84.63% (1 432/1 692). There were statistical differences in the quality (χ2=13.95, P<0.05; χ2=11.40, P<0.05) and accuracy （χ2=30.06, P<0.05; χ2=44.93, P<0.05) of reports among different municipals and different types of medical facilities. The accuracy rate of syphilis reporting by medical institutions was 86.17% (1 458/1 692), the correct rate for classifying diagnosis was 87.06% (1 473/1 692), and the accuracy rate of staging was 90.25% (1 527/1 692). Multivariate logistic regression results showed that whether the first-clinic physician attended training in the past three years [OR=6.26, 95%CI: (2.12-18.46)] and whether they grasped the key points of syphilis classification standard [OR=2.79, 95%CI: (1.21-6.46)] influenced report accuracy. Conclusions　The quality of reports in Inner Mongolia medical institutions is generally high, but the accuracy rate of reporting and correctness of network input have not yet reached the target requirement of 95%. There is still room for improvement in reporting and diagnostic capabilities. It is suggested to further strengthen the training frequency and coverage for physicians on syphilis diagnosis standard.