[Prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and HIV-infection among attendees of STD Outpatient Clinic, Dijkzigt University Hospital in Rotterdam; comparative analysis of years 1993 and 1998]. / Prevalentie van seksueel overdraagbare aandoeningen (SOA) en HIV-infectie bij bezoekers van de SOA-polikliniek van het Academisch Ziekenhuis Rotterdam-Dijkzigt; een vergelijking van de jaren 1993 en 1998.

OBJECTIVE: To gain an impression as to the possible trends in the prevalence of VD and HIV between 1993 and 1998. DESIGN: Retrospective. METHOD: Data of age, gender, ethnic background, sexual preference, intravenous drug use and a diagnosis of VD or HIV infection for persons attending the VD Outpatient Clinic of the Department of Dermato-Venereology of the Dijkzigt University Hospital in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, for the first time were compared for the years 1993 and 1998. RESULTS: The number of patients examined was 3099 (1894 men and 1205 women) in 1993 and 3696 (1878 men and 1818 women) in 1998. No diagnosis of venereal disease was made in 58.9% and 56.2% of them, respectively. The prevalence of HIV infection decreased from 1.3% in 1993 to 0.6% in 1998. This was caused mainly by a decline in the prevalence of HIV-antibodies among men with homosexual contacts. In the total population, the prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis decreased significantly (from 5.4% to 2.5% and from 9.3% to 7.5%, respectively), but there was no similar decrease among the men with homosexual contacts.

[Increase of early syphilis in Rotterdam (1995-1997): more (addicted) prostitutes and their clients]. / Toename van vroege syfilis in Rotterdam (1995-1997): meer (verslaafde) prostituees en hun bezoekers.

OBJECTIVE: To detect risk groups in an increase of early (infectious) syphilis. DESIGN: Retrospective study of patient records. METHOD: Data from visitors with an early syphilis were collected from their respective medical records in the outpatient clinic for sexually transmitted diseases (STD) of the Academic Hospital Rotterdam-Dijkzigt, the Netherlands, over the years 1993-1997. In particular, data on risk behaviour and risk groups were collected. To obtain an indication of the (possible) causes of the increase in the number of visitors with early syphilis, (shifts in) characteristics of this population over the years were compared. RESULTS: 195 patients with early syphilis had visited the outpatient clinic, 130 males and 65 females, mean ages ranging from 30.9 (1993) to 38.1 years (1997). Most infected persons (68%) came to the outpatient clinic because of symptoms. The number of women who came to the outpatient clinic through partner notification increased considerably, from an average of 5% in 1993-1995 to 36% in 1996. Over the years a relative increase of (drug addicted) prostitutes and their clients was observed (1993-1995: 39%; 1996: 56%). CONCLUSION: The cause of the increase, or failure to decrease, of the number of syphilis-infected visitors in the STD outpatient clinic of the Academic Hospital Rotterdam-Dijkzigt should probably be sought among (drug addicted) prostitutes and their visitors.

[Increase of early syphilis in a red light district in Rotterdam (1995-1997) and preventive treatment]. / Toename van vroege syfilis in een tippelzone in Rotterdam (1995-1997) en profylactische behandeling.

The number of cases of syphilis in Rotterdam has increased dramatically since 1995. The prevalence of early syphilis in 1997 was highest among street prostitutes (16%). Some prostitutes could not be reached for further evaluation and treatment, probably due to their addiction to hard drugs. Prophylactic treatment for syphilis was given to most street prostitutes in a cruising zone during a screening programme for sexually transmitted diseases (STD) in January 1997. Since then, STD checkups were performed regularly in the cruising zone. The prevalence of early syphilis in the cruising zone dropped to 1.3% in 1998. The total number of reported cases of syphilis in Rotterdam also decreased sharply in 1998.

[Leprosy in The Netherlands in the period 1970-1991]. / Lepra in Nederland in de periode 1970-1991.

OBJECTIVE: To inventory the changes in leprosy epidemiology in the Netherlands. DESIGN: Retrospective. SETTING: Academic Medical Centre (Amsterdam) and University Hospital Dijkzigt (Rotterdam), the Netherlands. METHOD: The medical records of all new leprosy patients in the period 1970-1991 were analysed. RESULTS: Between 1970 and 1991, 622 new leprosy patients were registered; 371 men (59.6%) and 251 women (40.4%). Most patients came from Surinam (73.3%) and Indonesia (7.2%). The mean time lapse between onset and treatment in the Netherlands was 10.1 years. Switching from monotherapy to combination therapy (1979) had no effect on the incidence of reversal reactions (cellular hypersensitivity in immunologically unstable patients), but did affect the incidence of erythema nodosum leprosum during the treatment. CONCLUSION: Leprosy in the Netherlands is an important disease, mainly from Surinam. The main advantage of combination therapy is the shortened duration of treatment. The treatment of choice is the one recommended by the WHO, the combination therapy with rifampicin administration once a month, because of the few adverse effects.

Detection of IgG, IgM and IgA antibodies in patients with uncomplicated Chlamydia trachomatis infection: a comparison between enzyme linked immunofluorescent assay and isolation in cell culture.

The diagnostic value of serum IgG, IgM and IgA in patients with uncomplicated urogenital Chlamydia trachomatis infection was compared with isolation in cell culture. C. trachomatis specific antibodies were determined with an enzyme linked immunofluorescent assay using elementary bodies from C. trachomatis serotypes E,F,H,I,J and LGV2 as antigens. At least two sera from each patient were tested and cultures were also established on the same day. Excluding the IgM titres in men, significantly more IgG, IgA and IgM and combinations of these antibodies were observed in culture positive patients. The sensitivity with which IgG titres in men or IgG and/or IgM titres in men and women could be determined, was significantly lower using C. trachomatis LGV2 as the only antigen than when all 6 antigens were used. The presence of 10 or more leucocytes in the urine sediment of men correlated positively with an IgG or an IgG and/or IgM titre.

Follow-up of multibacillary leprosy patients using a phenolic glycolipid-I-based ELISA. Do increasing ELISA-values after discontinuation of treatment indicate relapse?

With the introduction of reproducible serological tests it was hoped that relapses in leprosy patients, after discontinuing treatment, could be detected before damaging reactions occurred and before the patients became infectious. The possible value of an ELISA using a semisynthetic analogue of phenolic glycolipid-I to detect antibodies to this antigen in order to predict a relapse in multibacillary patients was investigated. In contrast to that reported for paucibacillary patients, this test was useful to detect early relapses in multibacillary patients. In 3 out of 4 multibacillary patients who relapsed, the ELISA-values were increased. The decreased ELISA-values in the one relapsed patient could be attributed to the corticosteroid therapy. In the multibacillary patients who did not relapse after RFT, the ELISA-values were consistently low or decreased. In only one patient did the ELISA-values increase following his release from treatment and this patient was clinically suspected of developing a relapse.

Anti-Mycobacterium leprae monoclonal antibodies cross-react with human skin: an alternative explanation for the immune responses in leprosy.

A panel of 17 mouse monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) raised against Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) antigens was used to detect antigenic determinants in normal human skin. An indirect immunoperoxidase technique was used. Eight of the MoAb detected epidermal antigens similar to patterns well known for human sera. Five of these MoAb detected determinants in the dermis, too. These observations may indicate a certain degree of similarity between the antigenic determinants occurring in M. leprae and in the human host. We propose that such a similarity on the one hand may facilitate the survival of M. leprae in the human host when the antigens are not recognized as "non-self," a situation which seems to occur in lepromatous leprosy, when the patients' tissues are loaded with bacteria virtually without any immune response. On the other hand, M. leprae antigens which mimic host antigens may induce an auto-immune reaction against the host's own antigens, which could explain the immune reaction in tuberculoid leprosy and during a "reversal reaction" when M. leprae is not observed in the host tissues, but extensive granuloma formation occurs.