Personalization of therapy for infections caused by N. gonorrhoeae, C. trachomatis, M. genitalium and T. vaginalis. Part I. Analysis of the frequency of patient attendance for follow-up examination after treatment

Background. Monitoring of the regression of clinical manifestations and eradication of the causative agent after completion of treatment is one of the important approaches to assessing the effectiveness of sexually transmitted infection (STI) therapy. Objective. To study the activity of patients’ attendance for follow-up examinations after completion of therapy for infections caused by N. gonorrhoeae, C. trachomatis, M. genitalium (MG) and T. vaginalis. Material and methods. We observed 1539 patients who received outpatient treatment for STIs in 2021—2024, including 1071 men and 468 women aged 18—67 years with uncomplicated gonococcal (n=245), chlamydial (n=799), MG (n=379) infections and trichomoniasis (n=116). In this trial, the first group (study group) included 716 patients who received a personalized treatment approach, the second group (control group) included 823 patients who were treated according to current clinical guidelines regardless of DNA concentration. Real-time PCR was the study method. Results. The highest frequency of attendance for follow-up examination was in patients with gonococcal infection (76% in the study group and 67% in the control group), the lowest — in patients with MG infection in the control group (10%). In general, the higher frequency of attendance for follow-up in patients of the study group, especially in case of MG infection (53%, p<0.05), is caused by the active involvement of doctors in the study management. Conclusion. Patients with STIs, especially those with MG infection, require a more careful approach from doctors to involve them in follow-up examinations. The obtained information is important in terms of preventing the causes that contribute to the increase in M. genitalium resistance to antimicrobial drugs.