[Update on the epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of sexually-transmitted infections]

In the last decade, cases of sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) have progressively increased in Europe. The reasons for this increase are unclear, but may involve changes in social behavior, migration and international travel, coupled with the emergence of risk groups that have not been taken into sufficient consideration to date. The routine use of molecular diagnostic techniques for many of these infections has solved many problems of sensitivity and the suitability of samples for microbiological diagnosis: non-invasive samples can be used, which has undoubtedly contributed to the increase in the number of cases. Moreover, molecular methods have also been introduced for antibiotic and antiviral susceptibility testing, as well as for molecular characterization of clinical isolates. All of these factors, together with the approval of the vaccine against the human papillomavirus, have changed the landscape of STIs across Europe.