earlier this year, found STIs were lower in the group told to take a single dose of doxycycline within 72 hours of unprotected sex. The rate of STI reduction was 66% in the HIV PrEP group and 62% in the HIV-positive group.
Now, the pushback to doxyPEP is that it could lead to more antimicrobial resistance. But Luetkemeyer points out that the highest-risk populations, for whom the intervention is meant, are already exposed to high rates of antibiotic use, largely to treat STIs. Still, Luetkemeyer and Klausner say it's important to monitor both drug-resistant STIs, as well as other infections, like doxycycline-resistantLuetkemeyer and her colleagues are now studying to see whether doxyPEP increases drug-resistant bacteria in those who take it. There are no red flags yet, but the research is ongoing.
"People's risk profile is dynamic. … doxyPEP isn't a strategy we're encouraging people to adopt forever," he says. Cohen at the San Francisco Department of Public Health said that while"it's definitely a priority as we roll it out to do surveillance to see if there's any concerning signs of antimicrobial resistance," for now,"the desire from the community to have new tools to protect themselves from STIs outweigh the potential and unknown risks of antimicrobial resistance."