Social networks, high-risk anal HPV and coinfection with HIV in young sexual minority men. Sex Transm Infect 2022 Dec;98(8):557-563
Date
02/21/2022Pubmed ID
35184046Pubmed Central ID
PMC9388701DOI
10.1136/sextrans-2021-055283Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85142401335 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 1 CitationAbstract
OBJECTIVES: Young sexual minority men (SMM) exhibit a high prevalence and incidence of high-risk genotypes of human papillomavirus (hrHPV) anal infections and a confluence of a high prevalence of HIV and rectal STIs. Social determinants of health (SDOHs) are linked to social network contexts that generate and maintain racial disparities in HIV and STIs. A network perspective was provided to advance our knowledge of drivers of genotype-specific hrHPV infection and coinfection with HIV. The study also examined whether socially connected men are infected with the same high-risk HPV genotypes and, if so, whether this tendency is conditioned on coinfection with HIV.
METHODS: Our sample included 136 young SMM of predominantly black race and their network members of other races and ethnicities, aged 18-29 years, who resided in Houston, Texas, USA. These participants were recruited during 2014-2016 at the baseline recruitment period by network-based peer referral, where anal exfoliated cells and named social and sexual partners were collected. Exponential random graph models were estimated to assess similarity in genotype-specific hrHPV anal infection in social connections and coinfection with HIV in consideration of the effects of similarity in sociodemographic, sexual behavioural characteristics, SDOHs and syphilis infection.
RESULTS: Pairs of men socially connected to each other tend to be infected with the same hrHPV genotypes of HPV-16, HPV-45 and HPV-51 or HPV-16 and/or HPV-18. The tendency of social connections between pairs of men who were infected with either HPV-16 or HPV-18 were conditioned on HIV infection.
CONCLUSIONS: Networked patterns of hrHPV infection could be amenable to network-based HPV prevention interventions that engage young SMM of predominantly racial minority groups who are out of HIV care and vulnerable to high-risk HPV acquisition.
Author List
Fujimoto K, Nyitray AG, Kuo J, Zhao J, Hwang LY, Chiao E, Giuliano AR, Schneider JA, Khanna AAuthor
Alan Nyitray PhD Associate Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Anal CanalAnus Diseases
Coinfection
Cross-Sectional Studies
HIV Infections
Homosexuality, Male
Human papillomavirus 16
Human papillomavirus 18
Humans
Male
Papillomaviridae
Papillomavirus Infections
Prevalence
Sexual and Gender Minorities
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Social Networking
