Decoding the Skin: HIV, STIs, and the Venereologist Perspective

Dear Colleagues,

The skin plays a pivotal role as a diagnostic interface in infectious diseases, especially in the context of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Dermatological manifestations often represent the earliest and most visible clinical clues—sometimes preceding laboratory detection or systemic symptoms. Their recognition can significantly accelerate diagnosis, risk stratification, and care engagement, particularly among high-risk populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM), migrants, sex workers, and individuals with limited healthcare access.

As the global epidemiology of STIs evolves, and HIV continues to present in increasingly diverse clinical and demographic contexts, dermatologists and venereologists are uniquely positioned to identify cutaneous signs indicative of acute infections, chronic viral interactions, immunologic dysfunction, and antiretroviral-related dermatoses.

This Special Issue invites authors to explore and highlight the role of the skin as a sentinel organ, the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, and the need to strengthen venereological expertise in modern infectious disease management.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

• Cutaneous manifestations of HIV in acute, chronic and post-treatment phases.
• Dermatologic presentations of STIs: syphilis, gonorrhea, HPV, molluscum, herpes, lymphogranuloma venereum.
• The diagnostic journey: skin lesions as early warning signs and their implications in clinical practice.
• HIV-related dermatoses linked to immunosuppression, ART toxicity and inflammatory overlap.
• The venereologist’s contribution to screening, prevention and therapeutic strategies in vulnerable groups.
• Public health perspectives: dermatology-based interventions for STI control and HIV awareness.

Through a combination of original research, narrative reviews, case-based reports and clinical commentaries, this Special Issue seeks to underscore the skin’s diagnostic power and position dermatology and venereology as central disciplines in the fight against infectious diseases.

Dr. Alessandra Latini
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Venereology is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• HIV
• STIs
• STDs
• venereology
• dermatology
• diagnostics
• dermatoses
• syphilis
• gonorrhea
• HPV
• molluscum
• herpes