Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential transmission of HCV strains between HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) and HIV-negative MSM. Since 2000, an ongoing epidemic of HCV infections is observed among HIV-positive MSM in high-income countries. However, HCV infections in HIV-negative MSM are investigated to a lesser extent due to the lack of follow-up in this population and only limited information is available on the risk of HCV transmission between HIV-positive MSM and HIV-negative MSM. We enrolled 49 MSM of which 43 were HIV-positive and 6 HIV-negative, including 4 being enrolled or waiting for enrolment in a preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) program. All patients were diagnosed with acute HCV infection at the Infectious Disease Unit at the Hospices Civils de Lyon from 2014 to 2016. Risk factors for HCV infection were similar in both groups and included IV or nasal drug use, and rough sex practices. Typing and phylogenetic cluster analysis of HCV variants were performed by NS5B sequencing. Several clusters of infections were identified (genotype 1a: 3 clusters and 1 pair; genotype 4d: 1 cluster and 2 pairs), suggesting that several transmission events occurred within the study population. Every HCV strain identified in HIV-negative MSM was included in a cluster with HIV-positive MSM. Chronological analysis of contagiousness suggested the transmission of HCV from HIV-positive to HIV-negative patients. We conclude that recommendations for HCV surveillance should not be confined to HIV-positive MSM but should be extended to HIV-negative MSM with similar risk factors.
Highlights
From a cohort of 49 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive and HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM) patients with acute hepatitis C infection, we performed phylogenetic analyses of hepatitis C virus (HCV) strains based on NS5B sequencing and identified several clusters mixing HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients
Such clusters of HCV infections in MSM had been described for HIV-positive MSM only [3,9,26] but mixed clusters combining HIV-positive and HIV-negative MSM had been previously reported in only one case [27]
All HCV strains infecting HIV-negative MSM were included in clusters with strains infecting HIV-positive MSM
Summary
HCV spread from HIV-positive to HIV-negative MSM grants from Merck and ViiV Healthacare, travel expenses and registrations to conferences from Abbvie pharmaceuticals, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences, Janssen, Merck and ViiV Healthcare and fees for interventions from Abbvie pharmaceuticals, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences, Janssen, Merck and ViiV Healthcare. Christophe Ramière has received travel expenses and registrations to conferences from Roche Pharmaceuticals and Merck. None of this funding was in relation with the presented study. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials
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