Prevalence and associated factors of HIV infection among men who have sex with men in Hefei, China, 2013-2014: a cross-sectional study

Prevalence of HIV and syphilis and their co-infection among men having sex with men in Asia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Studies found that the group of men who have sex with men (MSM) is at a very high level of risk of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Asian regions due to multiple reasons. Although the prevalence of HIV among general people in Asia is considered low, the prevalence of HIV and Syphilis among MSM in this region was found very high and usually, it goes unnoticed. This study aimed to inspect the prevalence of and trends in HIV, Syphilis, and their co-infection among MSM in Asia.

Methods

A systematic search was performed on January 5, 2021, in PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. To evaluate the heterogeneity, Q-tests, and I ² were used. To explore the publication bias, Eggers' test and funnel plot were used. The random-effect model and subgroup analysis were performed due to the significant heterogeneity.

Results

A total of 2872 articles were identified, and 66 articles were included in the final analysis. The overall prevalence of HIV and Syphilis among MSM was estimated considering 69 estimates from 66 studies whereas 19 estimates of co-infection were found in 17 studies. The pooled HIV prevalence was 8.48% (CI: 7.01-9.95) and the pooled Syphilis prevalence was 9.86% (CI: 8.30-11.41) with significant heterogeneity and publication bias. The pooled prevalence of HIV and Syphilis co-infection was 2.99% (CI: 1.70-4.27) with significant heterogeneity and no publication bias. The HIV, Syphilis, and HIV-Syphilis co-infection prevalence estimates exhibited an upward trend during 2002-2017.

Conclusions

HIV, Syphilis, and their co-infection are quite prevalent among MSM in the Asia-Pacific region. Integrated and intensified intervention strategies, HIV testing, and improved access to antiretroviral treatment as well as increased awareness are needed to reduce HIV, Syphilis, and their co-infection among the discussed vulnerable group.

Epidemic Characteristics of HIV Drug Resistance in Hefei, Anhui Province

To study the characteristics of HIV pretreatment drug resistance (PDR) and acquired drug resistance (ADR) in Hefei, a cross-sectional survey was used to collect 816 samples from newly reported HIV infections from 2017 to 2020 and 127 samples from HIV infections with virological failure from 2018 to 2019 in Hefei. HIV drug resistance levels and drug resistance mutations were interpreted using the Stanford Drug Resistance Database. Molecular networks were constructed by HIV-TRACE. Among the newly reported infections in Hefei, the prevalence of PDR was 6.4% (52/816). The drug resistance mutations were mainly V179E/D/T (12.4%), K103N (1.3%), and V106I/M (1.3%). In addition, it was found that the CRF55_01B subtype had a higher drug resistance rate than other subtypes (p < 0.05). Molecular network analysis found that K103N and V179E may be transmitted in the cluster of the CRF55_01B subtype. The prevalence of ADR among HIV infections with virological failure was 38.6% (49/127), and the drug resistance mutations were mainly M184V (24.4%), K103N/S (15.7%), Y181C (11.0%), G190S/A/E (10.2%), and V106M/I (10.2%). The molecular network was constructed by combining HIV infections with virological failure and newly reported infections; M184V and Y181C may be transmitted between them. The chi-square trend test results indicated that the higher the viral load level, the greater the number of newly reported infections linked to the infections with virological failure in the molecular network. In conclusion, interventions should focus on infections of the CRF55_01B subtype to reduce the transmission of drug-resistant strains. However, improving the treatment effect of HIV infections is beneficial for reducing the second-generation transmission of HIV.

The Identification of A Novel HIV-1 Second-Generation Recombinant form (CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC) Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Jiangsu, China

BACKGROUND

CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC are the two major HIV-1 virus strains circulating in China. The proportion of dominant subtypes (CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC) among MSM in Jiangsu province was over 80%. A large number of URFs have been found in China in recent years.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to report on novel HIV-1 recombinants.

METHODS

We constructed Phylogenetic trees using the maximum likelihood (ML) method with 1000 bootstrap replicates in IQ-TREE 1.6.8 software and determined recombination breakpoints using SimPlot 3.5.1.

RESULTS

We identified a novel, second-generation HIV-1 recombinant (JS020202) between CRF01_ AE and CRF07_BC. The analysis of near full-length genome (NFLG) showed there were at least 8 breakpoints in the virus, which differed from any previously identified CRF and URF around the world.

CONCLUSION

Novel diverse CRF01_AE/07_BC suggested the complexity trends of HIV-1 genetics. The emergency situation of diverse recombinant strains should be monitored continuously.

The prevalence of HIV among MSM in China: a large-scale systematic analysis

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM) has become a significant public health challenge. The aim was to comprehensively estimate the national prevalence of HIV among MSM and its time trends through a large-scale systematic analysis.

METHODS

Systematic search of Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang Data databases without language restriction for studies on the prevalence of HIV among MSM published before Dec.31, 2018. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were published in the peer-reviewed literature and used validated assessment methods to assess the prevalence of HIV among MSM. Estimates were pooled using random-effects analysis.

RESULTS

Data were extracted from 355 cross-sectional studies (571,328 individuals) covered 59 cities from 30 provinces and municipalities of China. The overall national prevalence of HIV among MSM from 2001 to 2018 was estimated to be 5.7% (95% CI: 5.4-6.1%), with high between-study heterogeneity (I2 = 98.0%, P <  0.001). Our study showed an increased tendency in the HIV prevalence as time progressed by meta-regression analysis (I2 = 95.9%, P <  0.0001). HIV prevalence was the highest in those aged 50 years and older with HIV prevalence of 19.3% (95%CI: 13.1-27.4%, N = 13). HIV was more prevalent in the illiterate population (16.8%), than in those who had received an education. Although the internet was a major venue for Chinese MSM seeking male sex partners (35.6, 95%CI: 32.3-39.9%, N = 101), seeking MSM in bathhouses/saunas had the highest associated prevalence of HIV (13.4, 95%CI: 10.3-17.1%, N = 22). The HIV prevalence among MSM varied by location: compared with other regions in China, HIV was highly prevalent among MSM in the southwest (10.7, 95%CI: 9.3-12.2%, N = 91). Compared to participants who sometimes or always used condoms, participants who had never used a condom in the past 6 months had a higher risk of HIV infection, with odds ratios of 0.1 (95%CI: 0.08-0.14).

CONCLUSIONS

Our analysis provided reliable estimates of China's HIV burden among MSM, which appears to present an increasing national public health challenge. Effective government responses are needed to address this challenge and include the implementation of HIV prevention.

Substance use and HIV-risk behaviors among HIV-positive men who have sex with men in China: repeated measures in a cohort study design

Global literature revealed that seropositive men who have sex with men (MSM) posed an even higher risk compared to their seronegative counterparts. Identifying risk factors that contribute to HIV-risk behaviors will help to curb the rapid HIV transmission among this group. Our hypothesis was that MSM with substance use were more likely to conduct HIV-risk behaviors, even after accounting for repeated measures. In the current study, we employed a cohort study design by following a group of 367 HIV-positive MSM up to four visits for one year to collect information regarding their sexual behaviors and history of substance use in the past three months. We used Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) models to account both within- and between-subject variation when assessing associations between substance use and HIV-risk behaviors. A total of 367 MSM were included at the baseline with a mean age of 29.6 years. After accounting for potential confounders and time-varying effects, our models indicated that drug and alcohol use increase HIV risks at the population level by increasing risks of drinking alcohol before sex, having unprotected sex with men and seropositive partners, having more lifetime female sex partners and having a higher number of male sexual partners in the past three months. The current study is one of the first studies with repeated measures to evaluate the association between substance use and sexual risk behaviors among MSM in China. Findings in the current study have several implications for future research. We call for more rigorous study design for future research to better capture changes of risky behaviors among this at-risk population.

Prevalence and associated factors of condomless receptive anal intercourse with male clients among transgender women sex workers in Shenyang, China

Introduction

Globally, transgender women sex workers have a high prevalence of HIV and condomless receptive anal intercourse with male clients (CRAIMC). We investigated the prevalence of CRAIMC and factors associated with CRAIMC among transgender women sex workers in China.

Methods

In 2014, we anonymously interviewed 220 transgender women sex workers face to face in Shenyang, China. Those who self-reported as HIV negative or as having unknown HIV serostatus were invited to take up free, anonymous HIV rapid testing (n=183); 90 did so. Using CRAIMC in the last month as the dependent variable, three types of associated factors were investigated, in addition to background factors: feminizing medical interventions, sex work and perceptions related to condom use. Univariate and multiple logistic regression models were fitted.

Results

Of the participants, 16.8% self-reported as HIV positive and 9.1% were detected to be HIV positive through free HIV testing; 26.8% had had CRAIMC in the last month, 45.5% had performed sex work in other Chinese cities (last year), and 23.2% had had condomless anal intercourse with men who were non-clients. In the adjusted analysis, significant factors associated with CRAIMC (last month) included the following: 1) any feminizing medical intervention performed (adjusted odds ratio, AOR: 2.22); 2) sex-work-related factors, including recruitment of male clients most often at hotels (AOR: 5.02) and charge per episode of transactional sex (201 to 400 RMB, AOR: 0.27; reference group: ≤100 RMB); and 3) perceptions related to condom use, including perceived transgender identity's impact on condomless sex such as wearing feminine attire, concern about exposing their status as a transgender woman to male clients (AOR: 1.20) and perceived self-efficacy of consistent condom use with male clients (AOR: 0.56). Perceived self-efficacy of consistent condom use with male clients fully mediated the association between perceived transgender identity's impact on condomless sex and CRAIMC.

Conclusions

HIV prevalence among transgender women sex workers was high but probably underestimated. The high prevalence of condomless anal intercourse with male non-clients and high mobility in sex work among this population in China are causes for concern. Risk factors for CRAIMC were multidimensional and should be considered when designing interventions targeting transgender women sex workers. Such interventions are urgently needed.