Sexual role and HIV-1 set point viral load among men who have sex with men.

ABSTRACT:

Background

HIV-1 set point viral load (SPVL) is a highly variable trait that influences disease progression and transmission risk. Men who are exclusively insertive (EI) during anal intercourse require more sexual contacts to become infected than exclusively receptive (ER) men. Thus, we hypothesize that EIs are more likely to acquire their viruses from highly infectious partners (i.e., with high SPVLs) and to have higher SPVLs than infected ERs.

Methods

We used a one-generation Bernoulli model, a dynamic network model, and data from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) to examine whether and under what circumstances MSM differ in SPVL by sexual role.

Results

Both models predicted higher SPVLs in EIs than role versatile (RV) or ER men, but only in scenarios where l

SUBMITTER: Stansfield SE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6538391 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature