Sexualised use of drugs during the height of the pandemic, particularly those compromising the immune system, increased the risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission and harm. This review, which synthesised published literature to determine if there was a change in this behaviour among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, identified that sexualised drug use persisted and may have become increasingly common. The scale of public health and individual sexualised drug use interventions may need to be increased.

What is the gold standard of neurosyphilis diagnosis? A classic question that has confused us for a long time. In our research, we found that cerebrospinal fluid reactive plasma regain and cerebrospinal fluid toluidine red serum unheated test were highly consistent with cerebrospinal fluid venereal disease research laboratory tests, which indicated that they may constitute substitute methods towards the laboratory diagnosis of neurosyphilis. It will be an effective and economical alternative until we finally find the true gold standard methods.

We conducted a cross-sectional survey among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men and transgender people across Victoria in Australia to understand community understanding of mpox, attitudes towards vaccination, and potential changes in sexual practices due to the mpox outbreak. Most people were willing to reduce or stop high-risk sexual practices to prevent mpox. Individuals who were at higher risk of acquiring mpox were likely to have received their mpox vaccine.

Mid-2022 saw a global mpox outbreak among primarily gay and bisexual men. During August–September 2022, we surveyed 2287 gay, bisexual and queer men and non-binary people about their knowledge of mpox, willingness to make behavioural changes, and be vaccinated. Nearly all participants had heard of mpox and most were familiar with common symptoms and transmission routes. We found very high willingness to be vaccinated against mpox but we identified some groups who may benefit from targeted information about vaccination.

Despite the increase in the proportion of HIV notifications attributed to heterosexuals in Australia, little is known about their HIV testing practices. Among heterosexuals attending the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre for the first time between 2011 and 2020, the odds of ever HIV testing werelow (40.8%), and individuals who engaged in condomless sex and had another STI were less likely to be tested. To reduce HIV transmission, strategies to improve HIV testing among heterosexuals are needed.

Digital interventions may offer a mechanism to assist general practitioners (GPs) in optimising care for sexually transmissible infections (STIs). We interviewed GPs and sexual health physicians, who viewed the concept of digital intervention for STI care favourably and with potential to improve STI processes, contingent on its design being considerate of the time-pressured general practice environment, the clinician and patient context, and integration of key evidence-based resources. A prototype digital tool for STI care informed by these insights is in development.