Molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 infection among men who have sex with men in Taiwan from 2013 to 2015

Abstract

Men who have sex with men (MSM) is the major risk population of HIV-1 infection in Taiwan, and its surveillance has become critical in HIV-1 prevention. We recruited MSM subjects from 17 high-risk venues and 4 community centers in northern and southern Taiwan for anonymous HIV-1 screening during 2013–2015. Blood samples were obtained for genotyping and phylogenetic analysis, and a questionnaire survey covering demographic variables and social behavior was conducted. In total, 4,675 subjects were enrolled, yielding a HIV-1 prevalence rate of 4.3% (201/4675). Eight risk factors including subjects who did not always use condoms (OR = 1.509, p = 0.0123), those who used oil-based lubricants (OR = 1.413, p = 0.0409), and those who used recreational drugs (OR = 2.182, p = < .0001) had a higher risk of HIV-1 infection. The annual prevalence and incidence of HIV-1 showed a downward trend from 2013 to 2015 (6.56%, 5.97 per 100 person-years in 2013; 4.53%, 3.97 per 100 person-years in 2014; 1.84%, 2.08 per 100 person-years in 2015). Factors such as always using condoms, water-based lubricant use, correct knowledge of lubricating substitutes, and recreational drug use were significantly associated with the trend of incidence. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that the cross-regional and international interaction of the local MSM population may have facilitated transmission of HIV. This survey of high-risk venues showed decreased prevalence and incidence of HIV-1 infection in Taiwan from 2013 to 2015, and this may be related to changes in behavioral patterns. Moreover, cross-regional interaction and recreational drug use need to be considered in future surveillance.

Methamphetamine Use Associated with Non-adherence to Antiretroviral Treatment in Men Who Have Sex with Men

“…Methamphetamine is the prevalent recreational drug associated with "chemsex" in MSM 13 . A prior report in Taiwan showed that the proportions of methamphetamine use were 22.3% and 11.7% in HIV-positive and HIV-negative MSM, respectively 33 . Our study found that 16.0% of HIV-positive MSM had used methamphetamine in the prior three months, which was higher than the 7.8% of HIV-positive MSM in the United Kingdom 34 .…”

The Examination of Viral Characteristics of HIV-1 CRF07_BC and Its Potential Interaction with Extracellular Galectin-3

“…To date, the HIV-1 epidemic in Taiwan has primarily spread via sexual contact [24]. The subtype B and CRF01_AE are the cause of the majority of the infections (>90%) [25].…”

“…Mean fluorescent densities were measured using the Image-Pro Plus program. Regarding the HIV-1 genotyping, the protocol was according to previous publication [24]. Briefly, the blood samples were drawn from the enrolled patients.…”

Voluntary medical male circumcision and HIV infection among men who have sex with men: Implications from a systematic review

“…In addition, four abstracts were selected based upon this review of references and all four were deemed eligible and their corresponding papers were included in the analysis. 15–18 Hence, 37 articles from 33 studies were included for the systematic review and meta-analysis.…”

“…We preferred using aORs with 95% CIs from the given publication, available for 28 studies. 14,16–45 For five studies that did not report aORs, we used raw data to calculate the crude ORs and their 95% CIs. 15,46–49…”