Summary

This compilation contains research articles on topics ranging from HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections to Community engagement in the provision of culturally competent HIV and STI prevention services. The articles include:

1. HIV and sexually transmitted infections: reconciling estranged bedfellows in the U = U and PrEP era - Kenneth H Mayer and Henry JC de Vries 1

2. Transforming and integrating STI surveillance to enhance global advocacy and investment in STI control - Melanie M Taylor and Teodora EC Wi 4

3. Diagnosing sexually transmitted infections in resource-constrained settings: challenges and ways forward - Teodora EC Wi, Francis J Ndowa, Cecilia Ferreyra, Cassandra Kelly-Cirino, Melanie M Taylor, Igor Toskin, James Kiarie, Nancy Santesso and Magnus Unemo 8

4. Similar, but different: drivers of the disproportionate HIV and sexually transmitted infection burden of key populations - Kenneth H Mayer and Lao-Tzu Allan-Blitz 19

5. Sexually transmitted infections and HIV in the era of antiretroviral treatment and prevention: the biologic basis for epidemiologic synergy - Myron S Cohen, Olivia D Council and Jane S Chen 23

6. Mechanisms of sexually transmitted infection-induced inflammation in women: implications for HIV risk - Ruth Mwatelah, Lyle R McKinnon, Cheryl Baxter, Quarraisha Abdool Karim and Salim S Abdool Karim 32

7. The role of saliva in gonorrhoea and chlamydia transmission to extragenital sites among men who have sex with men: new insights into transmission - Eric PF Chow and Christopher K Fairley 40

8. Current challenges in the clinical management of sexually transmitted infections - Henry JC de Vries 46

9. Give PrEP a chance: moving on from the “risk compensation” concept - Daniela Rojas Castro, Rosemary M Delabre and Jean-Michel Molina 50

10. Sexually transmitted Hepatitis C virus infections: current trends, and recent advances in understanding the spread in men who have sex with men - Bernadien M Nijmeijer, Jelle Koopsen, Janke Schinkel, Maria Prins and Teunis BH Geijtenbeek 57

11. Improving care for sexually transmitted infections - Cornelis A Rietmeijer 67

12. Community engagement in the provision of culturally competent HIV and STI prevention services: lessons from the French experience in the era of PrEP - Daniela Rojas Castro, Rosemary M Delabre, Stéphane Morel, David Michels and Bruno Spire