HIV and other viral infections in men who have sex with men in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

AVILA MM; PANDO MA; MAULEN S; REY J; MONTANO S; SALOMON H; SANCHEZ J; WEISSENBACHER M

Barcelona

Conferencia; XIV International AIDS Conference; 2002

IAS

Background:  The aim of the present work was to determine evidence of past infection with HIV, HCV, HBV, HTLV-I and HTLV-II viruses in a population of men who have sex with men (MSM) in the Buenos Aires area and to examine potential behavioral and epidemiologic risk factors which may predispose to their  transmission. Methods:  MSMs 18 years of age or older  from the Buenos Aires metropolitan area and surroundings were included in the study. Informed consent and clinico-epidemiologic questionnaire data was obtained in an anonymous manner. A sample of anticoagulated blood was collected for determination of past HIV, HCV, HBV, HTLV-I and HTLV-II infection by ELISA and immunoblot testing. Results:  A total of 694 MSMs were studied; Past infection with HIV was detected in 96 (13.8%) of them. HIV infection was significantly associated with a previous history of STD (p<0.002), age over 30 years (p<0.003), and unemployment (p<0.01). HCV infection was detected in 8 (1.6%) of 511 individuals tested; 4 (50%) of them were found to be HIV-positive. Higher HCV prevalence was related with commercial sex work (p<0.0001) and drug use (p<0.001). Previous HBV infection was detected in 146 (34.8%) of 420 individuals tested; 39 (27%) of them were also found to be HIV-positive. Higher HBV prevalence was significantly associated only with a previous history of STD (p<0.000).  In 3 patients we detected HIV-HBV-HCV co-infection. Past infection with HTLV-I was detected in only 2 of 667 patients, one of whom also had HIV, HCV and HBV infection. No evidence of previous HTLV-II infection was detected. HIV-positive MSM, evidenced a higher risk of past infection with HCV (OR= 6.68, 95% CI, 1.2-36.5) and HBV (OR=3.8; 95% CI, 2.1-6.9). Conclusions: HIV-HBV coinfections were found to be very common whereas HIV-HCV coinfections were not.  This is probably related to the higher degree of infectiousness of HBV, purported sexual transmission of HIV and HBV (but not necessarily HCV), and the low frequency of injecting drug use (0.4%) among MSMs in this population. Infection with HIV appears to be closely associated to infection with both HBV and HCV but not with HTLV-I or HTLV-II.