A report back on Miss Nicole Lima's presentation 'VITA RT-PCR, A MOLECULAR TEST FOR THE DETECTION AND DIFFERENTIATION OF VIABLE AND DEAD CHLAMYDIA TRACHOMATIS'
The final presentation of day 1 of the conference proved rewarding as Nicole Lima introduced us to the VITA RT-PCR, a molecular test which allows for the differentiation of viable and dead Chlamydia trachomatis and the potential impacts this test could have on clinical practice.
Current testing for Chlamydia using nucleic acid amplification tests detect the DNA of Chlamydia but tells us little about its viability. DNA can persist for a long time after effective treatment of Chlamydia and in patients who have been exposed to but self-cleared Chlamydia.
A report back on Dr Clare Huppatz's presentation, 'WA Syphilis Epidemiology'.
At the WA syphilis symposium we heard from Dr Clare Huppatz who outlined the syphilis epidemic as it has moved through Queensland, the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia. We heard that women aged 20-34 were amongst those most affected in Western Australia. Similarly, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were disproportionately affected with a rate ratio for Indigenous to non-Indigenous of 14:1. We were shown lots of graphs of infectious syphilis going “up and up” and were told that this is not just due to increased awareness and testing but increased test positivity as well.
A report back on the HIV&AIDS Opening Plenary.
This morning I was reminded of the importance of peers, not only in efforts to end HIV but more broadly, in providing quality sexual health care to all of our patients and in research.
We were told that science alone cannot end HIV and that while people living with or at risk of acquiring HIV remain marginalised, criminalised or stigmatised we will never end the epidemic.
