{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T10:48:48Z","timestamp":1791283728916,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"CSIRO Publishing","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]],"date-time":"2026-09-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788480000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,20]]},"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n Sexually transmitted infections in pregnancy threaten both mother and baby, so early detection matters. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology and temporal trends of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among pregnant women attending a large public sexual health clinic in Melbourne, Australia, from 2012 to 2025.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n We retrospectively analysed electronic medical records from the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, a large public sexual health service. Demographic, clinical,\u00a0and laboratory data were extracted for pregnant women who attended in 2012\u20132025, including those referred by primary care providers. STI positivity were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CI), and temporal trends were assessed using trend tests.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n Of 659 pregnant women, 111 (16.8%, 95% CI: 14.2\u201319.9%) had one or more STIs. Positivity was 12.2% (46\/377) for syphilis, 10.9% (57\/523) for chlamydia, 2.1% (9\/385) for gonorrhoea, 0.6% (2\/335) for HIV, and 2.3% (5\/218) for trichomoniasis. Of syphilis cases, 73.9% were diagnosed in the first trimester. Syphilis positivity increased over the study period (Ptrend\u00a0=\u00a00.022), peaking in 2022\u20132023 (35.0%, 7\/20), while other STIs remained stable.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n STIs were frequently detected among pregnant clinic attendees, with syphilis and chlamydia the most prevalent. The rising burden of syphilis highlights the need for strengthened antenatal testing and timely public health responses.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1071\/sh26170","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T03:56:05Z","timestamp":1789962965000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Trends of sexually transmitted infections among pregnant women in Melbourne, Australia, 2012\u20132025: a rise in burden of syphilis"],"prefix":"10.1071","volume":"23","author":[{"given":"Amirpasha","family":"Rafizadeh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"AMelbourne Sexual Health Centre, Bayside Health, Melbourne, Vic, Australia. Email: pasha.rafizadeh@monash.edu, SBond@mshc.org.au, eaung@mshc.org.au, phyumon.latt@monash.edu, christopher.fairley@monash.edu, mchen@mshc.org.au, jong@mshc.org.au"},{"name":"BSchool of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Damindu Kariyawasan","family":"Jalaththanthree","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CAdelaide Sexual Health Centre, Infectious Diseases Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia. Email: drdamindu@gmail.com"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stephanie","family":"Bond","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"AMelbourne Sexual Health Centre, Bayside Health, Melbourne, Vic, Australia. Email: pasha.rafizadeh@monash.edu, SBond@mshc.org.au, eaung@mshc.org.au, phyumon.latt@monash.edu, christopher.fairley@monash.edu, mchen@mshc.org.au, jong@mshc.org.au"},{"name":"BSchool of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ei T.","family":"Aung","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"AMelbourne Sexual Health Centre, Bayside Health, Melbourne, Vic, Australia. Email: pasha.rafizadeh@monash.edu, SBond@mshc.org.au, eaung@mshc.org.au, phyumon.latt@monash.edu, christopher.fairley@monash.edu, mchen@mshc.org.au, jong@mshc.org.au"},{"name":"BSchool of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5880-5731","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Phyu Mon","family":"Latt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"AMelbourne Sexual Health Centre, Bayside Health, Melbourne, Vic, Australia. Email: pasha.rafizadeh@monash.edu, SBond@mshc.org.au, eaung@mshc.org.au, phyumon.latt@monash.edu, christopher.fairley@monash.edu, mchen@mshc.org.au, jong@mshc.org.au"},{"name":"BSchool of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9081-1664","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Christopher K.","family":"Fairely","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"AMelbourne Sexual Health Centre, Bayside Health, Melbourne, Vic, Australia. Email: pasha.rafizadeh@monash.edu, SBond@mshc.org.au, eaung@mshc.org.au, phyumon.latt@monash.edu, christopher.fairley@monash.edu, mchen@mshc.org.au, jong@mshc.org.au"},{"name":"BSchool of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marcus Y.","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"AMelbourne Sexual Health Centre, Bayside Health, Melbourne, Vic, Australia. Email: pasha.rafizadeh@monash.edu, SBond@mshc.org.au, eaung@mshc.org.au, phyumon.latt@monash.edu, christopher.fairley@monash.edu, mchen@mshc.org.au, jong@mshc.org.au"},{"name":"BSchool of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5784-7403","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Jason J.","family":"Ong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"AMelbourne Sexual Health Centre, Bayside Health, Melbourne, Vic, Australia. Email: pasha.rafizadeh@monash.edu, SBond@mshc.org.au, eaung@mshc.org.au, phyumon.latt@monash.edu, christopher.fairley@monash.edu, mchen@mshc.org.au, jong@mshc.org.au"},{"name":"BSchool of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-4554-3549","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Nyi Nyi","family":"Soe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"AMelbourne Sexual Health Centre, Bayside Health, Melbourne, Vic, Australia. Email: pasha.rafizadeh@monash.edu, SBond@mshc.org.au, eaung@mshc.org.au, phyumon.latt@monash.edu, christopher.fairley@monash.edu, mchen@mshc.org.au, jong@mshc.org.au"},{"name":"BSchool of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1766-0657","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Eric P. F.","family":"Chow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"AMelbourne Sexual Health Centre, Bayside Health, Melbourne, Vic, Australia. Email: pasha.rafizadeh@monash.edu, SBond@mshc.org.au, eaung@mshc.org.au, phyumon.latt@monash.edu, christopher.fairley@monash.edu, mchen@mshc.org.au, jong@mshc.org.au"},{"name":"BSchool of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia."},{"name":"DCentre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic, Australia."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"67","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026092023560276400_R1","unstructured":"World Health Organization. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs); 2022. 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Chief Medical Officer\u2019s statement declaring syphilis a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance. Canberra: Department of Health and Aged Care; 2025. Available at https:\/\/www.health.gov.au\/news\/cmo-statement-syphilis-cdins?language=en"},{"key":"2026092023560276400_R11","unstructured":"Australian Centre for Disease Control. National Syphilis Surveillance Report Q2 2025. Canberra: Australian Centre for Disease Control; 2025. Available at https:\/\/www.cdc.gov.au\/resources\/publications\/national-syphilis-surveillance-report-q2-2025"},{"key":"2026092023560276400_R12","unstructured":"Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG). Syphilis advice for maternity care providers. Melbourne: RANZCOG; 2025. 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Testing guidelines. Melbourne Sexual Health Centre; 2021.\u00a0Available at https:\/\/www.mshc.org.au\/health-professionals\/testing-guidelines"},{"issue":"1","key":"2026092023560276400_R16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1071\/SH25119","article-title":"Evaluating completion rates between kiosk and smartphone computer-assisted self-interviewing at a sexual health clinic in Melbourne: a before-and-after implementation study.","volume":"23","author":"Wijekoon","year":"2026","journal-title":"Sex Health"},{"key":"2026092023560276400_R17","unstructured":"Australian Bureau of Statistics. Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), Australia methodology; 2021. Available at https:\/\/www.abs.gov.au\/methodologies\/socio-economic-indexes-areas-seifa-australia-methodology\/2021"},{"key":"2026092023560276400_R18","unstructured":"Australian Bureau of Statistics. Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC). Canberra: ABS; 2016. 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Syphilis: Australian STI management guidelines for use in primary care; 2026. 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Congenital and maternal syphilis. Treasure Island,FL: StatPearls Publishing; 2024. Available at https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK537087\/"},{"key":"2026092023560276400_R30"},{"issue":"4","key":"2026092023560276400_R31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.15585\/mmwr.rr7004a1","article-title":"Sexually transmitted infections treatment guidelines, 2021.","volume":"70","author":"Workowski","year":"2021","journal-title":"MMWR Recomm Rep"},{"key":"2026092023560276400_R32","unstructured":"NHS England. NHS Infectious diseases in pregnancy screening programme handbook; 2026. Available at https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/infectious-diseases-in-pregnancy-screening-programme-handbook\/nhs-infectious-diseases-in-pregnancy-screening-programme-handbook"},{"key":"2026092023560276400_R33","unstructured":"Australian Living Evidence Collaboration. Australian pregnancy care guidelines; 2025. 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