ArticleAIDS (London, England)2010
Treatment of sexually transmitted infections for HIV prevention: end of the road or new beginning?
Article in AIDS (London, England), 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 90 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
90 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 176 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence of sexually transmitted infections and bacterial vaginosis among women in sub-Saharan Africa: An individual participant data meta-analysis of 18 HIV prevention studies.PLoS medicine · 2018Pooled it
- The Effectiveness of HIV Prevention Interventions in Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Ethnic Minority Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.American journal of public health · 2017Pooled it
- Considering treatment of male genital schistosomiasis as a tool for future HIV prevention: a systematic review.International journal of public health · 2015Pooled it
- The vaginal microbiota: what have we learned after a decade of molecular characterization?PloS one · 2014Pooled it
- Association of genital human papillomavirus infection with HIV acquisition: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Sexually transmitted infections · 2013Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of risk factors for sexual transmission of HIV in India.PloS one · 2012Pooled it
- Biomedical and Behavioral Outcomes of Keep It Up!: An eHealth HIV Prevention Program RCT.American journal of preventive medicine · 2018Trial
- Evaluation of Sexual Risk Behavior Among Study Participants in the TDF2 PrEP Study Among Heterosexual Adults in Botswana.Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) · 2016Trial
- Biological factors that place women at risk for HIV: evidence from a large-scale clinical trial in Durban.BMC women's health · 2016Trial
- High HIV, HPV, and STI prevalence among young Western Cape, South African women: EVRI HIV prevention preparedness trial.Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) · 2015Trial
- HERMITAGE--a randomized controlled trial to reduce sexually transmitted infections and HIV risk behaviors among HIV-infected Russian drinkers.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2015Trial
- Can combination prevention strategies reduce HIV transmission in generalized epidemic settings in Africa? The HPTN 071 (PopART) study plan in South Africa and Zambia.Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) · 2013Trial
- Rapid plasma reagin titer variation in the 2 weeks after syphilis therapy.Sexually transmitted diseases · 2012Trial
- Potential Use of Neisseria meningitidis Serogroup B Vaccines to Prevent Neisseria gonorrhoeae Infection: Epidemiological Considerations.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2026Review
- Cervicovaginal microbiome diversity was not associated with mucosal pharmacokinetics of systemically delivered HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- The vaginal microbiome in pregnancy and preterm birth: mechanisms, disparities, and therapeutic opportunities.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2026Review
- HIV and syphilis seroprevalence and related unsafe sexual behaviours among people who inject drugs in Georgia: a cross-sectional study.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Article
- Screening for STIs among criminal legal system involved youth of color in community settings.Health & justice · 2024Article
- Vaccine value profile for Neisseria gonorrhoeae.Vaccine · 2024Article
30 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Observational and biological data provide compelling evidence of the importance of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in HIV transmission, but only one of nine intervention trials has shown an effect. This article reviews the observational studies, critically examines the nine randomized controlled trials evaluating the impact of STI treatment interventions on HIV incidence, and discusses implications for HIV prevention policy, programs and future research. The role of other vaginal infections is also briefly considered. In aggregate, the evidence strongly supports the concept that STI treatment prevents HIV infection. However, issues in trial design and conduct, including HIV epidemic phase, STI prevalence, intervention in comparison groups, and power have affected five of the six trials of treatment of curable STIs. In the three herpes intervention trials, antivirals for HSV suppression were insufficiently potent to alleviate persistent genital inflammation in HIV-negative HSV2-positive persons, and the reduction in HIV levels in HIV-positive persons was insufficient to reduce HIV transmission. It is time for a new phase of exploration of how, when, and in whom to include STI control as a key component of HIV prevention, driven by basic research to elucidate the mechanisms by which STIs and vaginal infections facilitate HIV transmission. From a policy perspective, treatment of curable STIs is an essential part of primary healthcare and is a cheap, simple, and effective intervention when appropriately targeted and delivered. It should be promoted as an essential component of HIV control programs in communities in which the burden of STIs is substantial.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.