An evaluation of syphilis partner services among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men with early syphilis in King County, WA.

Abstract

Background: Partner services (PS) have been integral to syphilis control in the U.S. since the early 20th century but have not been evaluated in a controlled study.

Methods: We compared PS outcomes among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) diagnosed with syphilis from May 2020-June 2021 for whom health department staff initiated PS efforts (PS group) and a randomly selected control group for whom no PS efforts were initiated. We interviewed participants about partner outcomes and used chi-square tests and Poisson regression to test for differences in outcomes between groups.

Results: We attempted to contact 350 GBMSM and offered participation to 184 men, of whom 92 (51%) participated, including 41 men in the PS group and 51 controls. The percentage of participants who reported notifying >1 sex partner after diagnosis was similar in the PS and control groups (83% vs. 80%, p = 0.80). Mean number of partners notified or tested did not differ between PS and control groups (notified mean[range]: 2.5 [0-10] vs 3.3 [0-20], p = 0.16; tested mean[range]: 1.2 [0-8] vs. 1 [0-10], p = 0.66); multivariate results were similar. Among those contacted for PS, approximately half (48%) reported PS staff helped them with medical care for syphilis, and 31% said that PS staff connected them to PrEP.

Conclusions: This small, controlled evaluation suggests that syphilis PS may have no impact on partner treatment among GBMSM, though most men support the intervention. A randomized trial is needed to definitively define the contemporary effectiveness of syphilis PS among GBMSM.