SynthesisSexually transmitted infections2021
Effect of syphilis infection on HIV acquisition: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Sexually transmitted infections, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 76 papers, 5 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
76 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 124 citations in OpenAlex.
- The impact of the National Syphilis Prevention Program on the prevalence of syphilis among people living with HIV in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2025Pooled it
- Prevalence and associated factors of HIV among female sex workers in Eastern and Southern Africa: Systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- Spiraling Risk: Visualizing the multilevel factors that socially pattern HIV risk among gay, bisexual & other men who have sex with men using Complex Systems Theory.Current HIV/AIDS reports · 2023Pooled it
- Missed opportunities for HIV testing among those who accessed sexually transmitted infection (STI) services, tested for STIs and diagnosed with STIs: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2023Pooled it
- Prevalence of syphilis among people living with HIV and its implication for enhanced coinfection monitoring and management in China: A meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- Gaps in Testing for HIV in Individuals with Neurological Conditions: Implementation Strategies to Improve HIV Screening and Early Diagnosis.Current HIV/AIDS reports · 2026Review
- Development and Pilot Evaluation of a Training-of-Trainers Model for School-Based Sexuality Education Within the ESPRIT Project.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Differential effects of primary and latent syphilis co-infection on immune reconstitution and virological failure in HIV-positive adults on ART.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Strengthening STD Screening Programs: Comprehensive Evaluation of High-Throughput Immunoassays for HIV and Syphilis Detection.Microorganisms · 2026Article
- Increasing Syphilis Prevalence Among MSM Across India Despite Improvements in the HIV Care Continuum.Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) · 2026Article
- Modelling assessment of epidemiological strategies based on self-screening tools.Communications medicine · 2026Article
- Poor Oral HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Persistence in an Integrated PrEP/STI Program in Malawi.AIDS and behavior · 2026Article
- Strong Real-World Evidence That a Single Dose of Benzathine Penicillin G or a 28-Day Course of Oral Doxycycline Is Not Inferior to 3 Doses of Benzathine Penicillin G for the Treatment of Late Latent or Unknown Duration Syphilis.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2026Article
- Syphilis Co-Infection Among People Living with HIV in Romania: Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics in a Single-Center Retrospective Study.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- A Four-Item Risk Score to Target Acute HIV Infection Testing Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in Indonesia: Development and Validation in the INTERACT Prospective Cohort.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2026Article
- Exosomal miR-1246 in Syphilis Serofast State: Diagnostic Value and NLRP3 Inflammasome Suppression.Immunity, inflammation and disease · 2026Article
- Syphilis Infections Among Women of Reproductive Age in the Southern United States: An Analysis From the Study of Treatment and Reproductive Outcomes (STAR).Open forum infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Do Sexually Transmitted Infections Coexist? Evidence from Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Syphilis Coinfection in a Tertiary Care Center.Journal of clinical practice and research · 2026Article
- Risk of cancer among individuals with a history of bacterial sexually transmitted infections: A population-based study in Alberta, Canada.International journal of cancer · 2026Article
- Sexually transmitted and bloodborne infections testing among people who use substances: findings from the 2023 British Columbia Harm Reduction Client Survey.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
16 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
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesCo-infection of syphilis and HIV remains hard to manage and its morbidity shows a rising tendency. Syphilis has been associated with increased risk of HIV acquisition in high-risk groups, especially in men who have sex with men (MSM). This systematic review and meta-analysis estimates the effect of syphilis infection on subsequent HIV acquisition, and assesses its difference between MSM and other high-risk populations.
methodsFive electronic databases were searched for literature published to 21 September 2019 without language restrictions. Longitudinal studies that enrolled key populations to compare the incidence of HIV with and without syphilis exposure were included. We used a random-effects model to estimate the effect of syphilis infection on HIV acquisition among high-risk populations, which include MSM, sex workers, serodiscordant couples, people who inject drugs and attendees of STD clinics.
resultsA total of 17 cohorts and 5 case-control studies involving 65 232 participants were included. HIV incidence showed a two-time increase after syphilis exposure, compared with a control group (relative risk (RR) 2.67 (95% CI 2.05 to 3.47); p<0.05 for prevalence; RR 3.21 (95% CI 2.26 to 4.57); p=0.419 for incidence). No significant differences were observed between MSM and other high-risk groups in syphilis infection prevalence (RR 2.60 (95% CI 1.78 to 3.80); p<0.05 vs RR, 2.98 (95% CI 2.15 to 4.14); p<0.05; ratio of relative risk 0.76 (95% CI 0.49 to 1.17)).
conclusionsSyphilis infection increases the risk of HIV acquisition in high-risk populations. There is no evidence to suggest MSM are at greater risk than other high-risk populations. Prompt diagnosis, timely treatment, preventive interventions against syphilis infection would be a worthwhile investment for reducing HIV incidence. Strategies to combat stigma and discrimination targeted at MSM are pragmatically needed.
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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.