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Ex Vivo Infection of Human Lymphoid Tissue and Female Genital Mucosa with Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 and Histoculture
Published on: October 12, 2018
Prevalence, Risk factors, and Shedding of Human Herpes Virus-8 among Men Having Sex With Men Enrolled in a
Julien Gras1,2, Marion Helary3, Diane Carette4
1Département des maladies infectieuses, AP-HP, Hôpital Saint Louis, Paris, France.
Background:
Seroprevalence and risk factors for Human Herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) infection among HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM) on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) have not been well characterized. Our objectives were to assess the prevalence and incidence of HHV-8 infection in MSM enrolled on PrEP and assess viral shedding in seropositive participants.
Methods:
The ANRS IPERGAY study enrolled 429 participants in France and Canada to evaluate oral PrEP for HIV-1 prevention. Stored sera samples at day 0 (D0) and last visit were tested for the detection of HHV-8 antibodies using an indirect immunofluorescence assay. Baseline characteristics were analyzed to identify risk factors associated with HHV-8 seropositivity. Among seropositive participants, HHV-8 DNA was quantified on available oral and anal swabs, and ORF-K1 typing performed on HHV-8 positive samples.
Results:
One hundred participants were seropositive at D0 (prevalence of 24%, 95% Confidence Interval (95%CI): 20·0-28·4) and 18/329 seroconverted during the study (incidence rate of 2·66 per 100 person-years, 95%CI: 1·57-4·20). Risk factors independently associated with baseline HHV-8 seropositivity included older age, high number of sexual partners, chemsex use and HSV-2 seropositivity. Among HHV-8 seropositive participants with available swab(s) for virological analysis, 37/115 (32%) displayed HHV-8 oral shedding, and 5/113 (4.4%) anal shedding at least once. Four patients had positive viral load before seroconversion.
Conclusion:
Prevalence and incidence of HHV-8 infection were high in HIV-negative PrEP users. Among seropositive participants, HHV-8 DNA is mainly detected in saliva, which may play a major role in viral transmission in this population.
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