Shigellosis—a re-emerging sexually transmitted infection: outbreak in men having sex with men in Berlin.
Abstract
In December 2001, the Robert Koch-Institut (RKI) was informed about a cluster of 10 Shigella sonnei infections in men who have sex with men (MSM), diagnosed in Berlin since September 2001. A retrospective investigation on sexual risk factors for infection in all shigella cases from Berlin from 2001 was initiated by sending a questionnaire to all patients without known travel history. Simultaneously laboratories were asked to send new shigella isolates from patients to the National Reference Centre at the RKI. Out of 29 responders, 24 self-identified as MSM. Seventeen of these reported sexual contacts as the most likely potential risk of infection. Almost all MSM reported direct or indirect oral-anal sexual contacts in the week before they fell ill. Fifteen of 27 shigella isolates collected during the prospective sampling period showed identical plasmid profiles, PFGE- and resistance patterns and can therefore be regarded as clonally identical. Asymptomatic and/or prolonged shedding in the reconvalescent phase may contribute to the transmission risk of shigella infection during oral-anal sexual practices. Awareness among practitioners and among MSM about the risk of sexual transmission of orally transmitted agents needs to be raised.
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Sporadic outbreaks of Shigella sonnei and Shigella flexneri have been reported among MSM.
“Sporadic outbreaks of Shigella sonnei and Shigella flexneri have been reported among MSM (257–262).”
From Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021 (2021) · cites this paper as [258]
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Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021
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- Authors
- Marcus, U., Zucs, P., Bremer, V, Hamouda, O., Prager, R., Tschaepe, H., Futh, U., & Kramer, M.
- Affiliations
- Robert Koch Institute (DE)
- Venue
- International Journal of STD & AIDS
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2004-08-01
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 533-537
- ISSN
- 0956-4624 (ISSN-L)
- 1758-1052
- OpenAlex
- W2071966078
- Cited by
- 59
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 4.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Journal of STD & AIDS (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Salmonella and Campylobacter epidemiology
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Endocrinology › Escherichia coli research studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions
- Keywords
- shigellosis, Shigella sonnei, men who have sex with men, sexually transmitted infections, outbreak investigation, sexual risk factors, clonal transmission, plasmid profiles, antimicrobial resistance, asymptomatic viral shedding, Berlin
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Disease Outbreaks, Dysentery, Bacillary, Female, Germany, Humans, Male, Medical Records, Prospective Studies, Retrospective Studies, Risk-Taking, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Homosexuality, Male
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