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. 2021 May;26(18):2100422.
doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.18.2100422.

The silent epidemic of lymphogranuloma venereum inside the COVID-19 pandemic in Madrid, Spain, March 2020 to February 2021

Laura Martínez-García  1   2 , Mario Rodríguez-Domínguez  1   2 , Clara Lejarraga  3 , María Concepción Rodríguez-Jiménez  1 , José María González-Alba  1 , Teresa Puerta  3 , Matilde Sánchez-Conde  4 , José Manuel Hermida  4 , Beatriz Romero-Hernández  1 , Juan Carlos Galán  1   2
Affiliations
Free PMC article

The silent epidemic of lymphogranuloma venereum inside the COVID-19 pandemic in Madrid, Spain, March 2020 to February 2021

Laura Martínez-García et al. Euro Surveill. 2021 May.
Free PMC article

Abstract

Despite social distancing measures implemented in Madrid to prevent the propagation of SARS-CoV-2, a significant increase (57.1%; 28.5 to 38.5 cases/month) in cases of lymphogranuloma venereum was detected during the COVID-19 pandemic. This unusual scenario might have accelerated a shift in Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) epidemiology towards a higher proportion of L genotypes compared with non-L genotypes in CT-positive samples. Our data underscore the importance of surveillance of sexually transmitted infections during the pandemic, in particular among vulnerable populations.

Keywords: COVID-19; lymphogranuloma venereum; sexually transmitted infections.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Evolution of lymphogranuloma venereum cases during the COVID-19 pandemic, Madrid, Spain, March 2020–February 2021 (n = 284)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Monthly percentages of lymphogranuloma venereum cases with respect to Chlamydia trachomatis-positive samples by year, Madrid, Spain, March 2019–February 2021 (n = 536)
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