Integrating Human Immunodeficiency Virus Testing Into Syphilis Partner Services in Mississippi to Improve Human Immunodeficiency Virus Case Finding.

BACKGROUND: Mississippi has the 10th highest rate of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in the United States. The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) integrated partner HIV testing into syphilis partner services (PS) in 2014, but the effectiveness of this as an HIV case finding strategy has not been evaluated.

METHODS: We identified all early syphilis (primary, secondary, and early latent) case records reported from July 1, 2014, to December 31, 2016, excluding case records for people concurrently newly diagnosed with HIV. Among sex partners of these people, we identified new diagnoses of early syphilis and HIV. We calculated the number needed to interview as the number of syphilis index case patients interviewed divided by the number of partners newly diagnosed with early syphilis or HIV.

RESULTS: A total of 1535 (95%) of the 1619 early syphilis index case patients were interviewed for PS. These case patients named 2267 partners, of whom 1868 (82%) were contacted by MSDH. Among partners, 1508 (81%) tested for syphilis and 745 (56%) of 1321 partners not previously diagnosed with HIV were tested for HIV. Partner services identified 696 new early syphilis case patients (46%) and 24 (3.2%) new HIV case patients among partners. Sixty-four index case patient interviews were needed to identify 1 new case of HIV, and 2 interviews were needed to identify 1 new case of syphilis among partners.

CONCLUSIONS: Syphilis PS allowed MSDH to interact with 1592 men who have sex with men over a 30-month period and was effective for identifying people newly infected with early syphilis and HIV. Increasing HIV testing among partners of syphilis case patients could increase HIV case finding in Mississippi.