Lavinia Fabeni 1 , Claudia Alteri 2 , Giulia Berno 3 , Rossana Scutari 4 , Nicoletta Orchi 5 , Gabriella De Carli 5 , Ada Bertoli 4 , Luca Carioti 4 , Caterina Gori 3 , Federica Forbici 3 , Romina Salpini 4 , Alessandra Vergori 6 , Roberta Gagliardini 6 , Stefania Cicalini 6 , Annalisa Mondi 6 , Carmela Pinnetti 6 , Laura Mazzuti 7 , Ombretta Turriziani 7 , Manuela Colafigli 8 , Vanni Borghi 9 , Francesco Montella 10 , Alfredo Pennica 11 , Miriam Lichtner 12 , Enrico Girardi 13 , Massimo Andreoni 14 , Cristina Mussini 9 , Andrea Antinori 6 , Francesca Ceccherini-Silberstein 4 , Carlo Federico Perno 2,3 , Maria Mercedes Santoro 4 Show Affiliations »
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the characteristics of HIV-1 molecular transmission clusters (MTCs) in 1890 newly diagnosed individuals infected with non-B subtypes between 2005 and 2017 in Italy. METHODS: Phylogenetic analyses were performed on pol sequences to characterise subtypes/circulating recombinant forms and identify MTCs. MTCs were divided into small (SMTCs, 2-3 sequences), medium (MMTCs, 4-9 sequences) and large (LMTCs, ≥10 sequences). Factors associated with MTCs were evaluated using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: 145 MTCs were identified and involved 666 individuals (35.2%); 319 of them (16.9%) were included in 13 LMTCs, 111 (5.9%) in 20 MMTCs and 236 (12.5%) in 112 SMTCs. Compared with individuals out of MTCs, individuals involved in MTCs were prevalently Italian (72.7% vs 30.9%, p<0.001), male (82.9% vs 62.3%, p<0.001) and men who have sex with men (MSM) (43.5% vs 14.5%, p<0.001). Individuals in MTCs were also younger (median (IQR) years: 41 (35-49) vs 43 (36-51), p<0.001) and had higher CD4 cell count in comparison with individuals out of MTCs (median (IQR): 109/L: 0.4 (0.265-0.587) vs 0.246 (0.082-0.417), p<0.001). The viral load remained stable between the two groups (median (IQR) log10 copies/mL: 4.8 (4.2-5.5) vs 5.0 (4.3-5.5), p=0.87). Logistic regression confirmed that certain factors such as being MSM, of Italian origin, younger age and higher CD4 cell count were significantly associated with MTCs. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that HIV-1 newly diagnosed individuals infected with non-B subtypes are involved in several MTCs in Italy. These MTCs include mainly Italians and MSM and highlight the complex phenomenon characterising the HIV-1 spread. This is important especially in view of monitoring the HIV epidemic and guiding the public health response. © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the characteristics of HIV-1 molecular transmission clusters (MTCs) in 1890 newly diagnosed individuals infected with non-B subtypes between 2005 and 2017 in Italy. METHODS: Phylogenetic analyses were performed on pol sequences to characterise subtypes/circulating recombinant forms and identify MTCs. MTCs were divided into small (SMTCs, 2-3 sequences), medium (MMTCs, 4-9 sequences) and large (LMTCs, ≥10 sequences). Factors associated with MTCs were evaluated using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: 145 MTCs were identified and involved 666 individuals (35.2%); 319 of them (16.9%) were included in 13 LMTCs, 111 (5.9%) in 20 MMTCs and 236 (12.5%) in 112 SMTCs. Compared with individuals out of MTCs, individuals involved in MTCs were prevalently Italian (72.7% vs 30.9%, p<0.001), male (82.9% vs 62.3%, p<0.001) and men who have sex with men (MSM) (43.5% vs 14.5%, p<0.001). Individuals in MTCs were also younger (median (IQR) years: 41 (35-49) vs 43 (36-51), p<0.001) and had higher CD4 cell count in comparison with individuals out of MTCs (median (IQR): 109/L: 0.4 (0.265-0.587) vs 0.246 (0.082-0.417), p<0.001). The viral load remained stable between the two groups (median (IQR) log10 copies/mL: 4.8 (4.2-5.5) vs 5.0 (4.3-5.5), p=0.87). Logistic regression confirmed that certain factors such as being MSM, of Italian origin, younger age and higher CD4 cell count were significantly associated with MTCs. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that HIV-1 newly diagnosed individuals infected with non-B subtypes are involved in several MTCs in Italy. These MTCs include mainly Italians and MSM and highlight the complex phenomenon characterising the HIV-1 spread. This is important especially in view of monitoring the HIV epidemic and guiding the public health response. © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
Entities: Disease
Gene
Species
Keywords:
HIV; molecular epidemiology; transmission dynamics; transmission networks; virology HIV
Mesh： See more »
Year: 2019
PMID： 31076456 DOI： 10.1136/sextrans-2019-054017
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Sex Transm Infect ISSN： 1368-4973 Impact factor: 3.519