{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]],"date-time":"2026-06-16T17:55:17Z","timestamp":1781632517297,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"BMJ","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]],"date-time":"2026-06-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781568000000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Eastern Africa Consortium for Clinical Research","award":["CSA2020NoE-3102-EACCR3"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CSA2020NoE-3102-EACCR3"]}]},{"name":"SANTHE Path to Independence Project","award":["SANTHE-PT1008"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SANTHE-PT1008"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Sex Transm Infect"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,19]]},"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n \n Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Uganda experience a high burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), increasing vulnerability to HIV acquisition. Despite the WHO and Uganda\u2019s Ministry of Health recommendations, routine integration of STI screening into HIV testing services (HTS) remains limited. We assessed the prevalence of laboratory-confirmed STIs, associated factors and\n Neisseria gonorrhoeae<\/jats:italic>\n antimicrobial resistance among AGYW seeking HTS in Entebbe, Uganda.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n We conducted a cross-sectional study among 321 AGYW aged 15\u201324 years attending HTS at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) clinic. Endocervical swabs were tested for\n N. gonorrhoeae<\/jats:italic>\n (culture and sensitivity),\n Trichomonas vaginalis<\/jats:italic>\n (wet microscopy) and bacterial vaginosis (BV; Nugent scoring). Syphilis was assessed using the\n Treponema pallidum<\/jats:italic>\n haemagglutination assay. Modified Poisson regression was used to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) for factors associated with any STI.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n Overall STI prevalence was 35.2% (n=113, 95% CI 30.0 to 40.5), with 41.6% (47\/113) of infections occurring among asymptomatic individuals, driven largely by BV at 31.5% (100\/318), followed by\n T. vaginalis<\/jats:italic>\n at 7.3% (23\/316), syphilis at 5.0% (16\/321) and\n N. gonorrhoeae<\/jats:italic>\n at 1.3% (4\/318). STI prevalence among AGYW who tested positive for HIV was 47.8% (11\/23), while among those who tested negative was 34.2% (102\/298). In multivariable analysis, having fewer sexual partners was associated with lower STI prevalence (one partner: aPR 0.07, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.14; 2\u20133 partners: aPR 0.73, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.90, compared with >3 partners); condom use was associated with lower STI prevalence (aPR 0.62, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.84), and intrauterine device use was associated with higher STI prevalence (aPR 1.61, 95% CI 1.24 to 2.08). Among four\n N. gonorrhoeae<\/jats:italic>\n isolates, three showed resistance to ciprofloxacin, and all four were resistant to penicillin G; all were susceptible to cefotaxime.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n A high burden of STIs, including asymptomatic infections, was observed among AGYW seeking HTS in an urban Ugandan setting. These findings support the integration of diagnostic STI screening into HTS.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/sextrans-2026-056911","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]],"date-time":"2026-06-16T17:20:23Z","timestamp":1781630423000},"page":"sextrans-2026-056911","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["High prevalence of sexually transmitted infections among adolescent girls and young women seeking HIV testing in Entebbe, Uganda"],"prefix":"10.1136","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2512-8425","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Benjamin","family":"Watyaba","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda"},{"name":"Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Derrick","family":"Mugisha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-3420-0208","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bushirah","family":"Mutesi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hamza","family":"Kalutte","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ezra","family":"Wanzira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Derick","family":"Kisitu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Claire","family":"Mukwano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Flavia","family":"Nakanjako","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Henry","family":"Kajumbula","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bernard","family":"Kikaire","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda"},{"name":"College of Health, Department of Pediatrics, Makerere University School of Medicine, Kampala, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026061610201615000_sextrans-2026-056911v1.1","unstructured":"WHO . 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