STI Podcast

Ocular Syphilis: Unanswered Questions and the Role of HIV Co-Infection

In this podcast, Dr Khalil Ghanem discusses ocular syphilis with the authors of two studies. Dr Susan Tuddenham, from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, is the author of 'Increasing Case Reports of Ocular Syphilis in the United States: An Opportunity to Address Important Unanswered Questions', accessible here: http://goo.gl/cPcbLM and Dr Motoyuki Tsuboi, from the AIDS Clinical Center, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan, is the author of 'Prognosis of ocular syphilis in HIV-infected patients in the antiretroviral therapy era': http://goo.gl/giAx9s .

Sexual life of deploying US military shipboard populations

A lot has changed since the last study among shipboard populations has been conducted, about 20 years ago. What is the health of shipboard military personnel and why is it important to study their sexual health? How is life in a deployment? How can the findings of this study apply to civilian populations?
In this podcast, Judith Harbertson of San Diego State University and US Military HIV Research Program talks to Tom Nadarzynski, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, about these questions and the main conclusions of the study.
Read the related article:
Sexually transmitted infections and sexual behaviour of deploying shipboard US military personnel: a cross-sectional analysis
goo.gl/5GPm2D

Seasonal differences in sexual behaviour and sexually transmissible diseases in Melbourne, Australia

In this podcast Dr Katy Turner talks to Dr Vincent Cornelisse about his recently published paper "Summer Heat: A cross-sectional analysis of seasonal differences in sexual behaviour and sexually transmissible diseases in Melbourne, Australia".
They discuss the seasonal differences in sexual activity and disease transmission across different sexual pairings and the seasons.
Full text: http://sti.bmj.com/content/early/2015/11/05/sextrans-2015-052225.full?sid=1b9dd132-b40c-4e25-afb6-995380d28d03

ISSTDR conference - Jane Hocking

In this podcast Dr Katy Turner talks to Dr Jane Hocking at the ISSTDR conference in Brisbane, Australia. They discuss Dr Hocking's preliminary results from a Chlamydia screening trial across Australia and the logistics for testing and collecting data across such a large area.

ISSTDR conference - Hayley Denison

In this podcast Dr Katy Turner talks to PhD student Hayley Denison at the ISSTDR conference in Brisbane. They discuss the differences studying for a PhD in New Zealand compared to the UK and how social media has helped people keep up to date at conferences.

Sex, drugs, and men who have sex with men

How does drug use feed into STI transmission in men who have sex with men? What kinds of behaviours happen, and how can clinicians discuss these issues with men and best help them?
In this podcast Adam Bourne, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and David Stuart, substance use lead at the 56 Dean Street sexual health clinic, discuss the issues and offer their advice.
Read the related article:
Illicit drug use in sexual settings (‘chemsex’) and HIV/STI transmission risk behaviour among gay men in South London: findings from a qualitative study http://goo.gl/u6xubb

The disruptive influence of syphilis cures within specialist venereal systems

Simon Barton, Clinical Director, HIV & Sexual Health, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, London, talks to Joseph D Tucker, International Diagnostics Centre, Keppel Street, London, about his editorial on how the history of syphilis cures provides some guidance on preparing for a HIV cure. More information about the working group can be found here http://searchiv.web.unc.edu/
Read the full editorial:
http://sti.bmj.com/content/91/1/2.full

Scrotal recall

Nicola Low, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland, talks to Tom Edge, writer of the Channel 4 sitcom Scrotal Recall, a drama where a young man explores his past relationships via contact tracing after discovering he has chlamydia.
Tom discusses the medicine and research behind the writing, and the tensions between storytelling and science.

Gonorrhoea and chlamydia screening in HIV clinics: time for new tools and targets

Prevalence studies indicate approximately 10% of patients in HIV clinics may be infected with Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and/or Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) at any given time, and a study recently published in STI by Burchell and colleagues reveals that a modest increase in testing in their clinic did not improve detection of CT and NG.
Khalil Ghanem, STI associate editor, asks Stephen Berry, Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, to comment on the paper and what can be done to improve detection of NG and CT.
Read Dr Berry's full editorial: http://goo.gl/ABefHz
Read Burchell et al's paper: Modest rise in chlamydia and gonorrhoea testing did not increase case detection in a clinical HIV cohort in Ontario, Canada http://goo.gl/JPsp2e

The prevalence of and factors associated with paying for sex among men resident in Britain

STI associate editor Katy Turner talks to Kyle Jones, Infection & Population Health, University College London, about his studying examining who in the UK pays for sex.