Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec 17;79(6):1420-1427.
doi: 10.1093/cid/ciae297.

Hepatitis C Virus Reinfection Among Men Who Have Sex With Men With HIV in New York City

Daniel S Fierer  1 , Jesse R Carollo  1 , Gabriela Rodriguez-Caprio  1 , Asa Radix  2 , Rona Vail  2 , Robert Chavez  3 , Krisczar J Bungay  4 , Stephen M Dillon  4 ; New York Acute Hepatitis C Surveillance Network
Collaborators, Affiliations

Hepatitis C Virus Reinfection Among Men Who Have Sex With Men With HIV in New York City

Daniel S Fierer et al. Clin Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) reinfection rates are substantially higher than primary infection rates among men who have sex with men (MSM) with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in European cohorts. The behaviors mediating this high rate of transmission among MSM are poorly characterized.

Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study in New York City (NYC) of MSM with HIV who cleared HCV to determine the incidence of and risk factors for HCV reinfection. We assessed the risk behaviors for primary HCV in NYC: receipt of semen in the rectum, and sexualized methamphetamine use, along with route of use. Multivariable analysis was performed with Andersen-Gill extension of the Cox proportional hazards model.

Results: From 2000 through 2018, among 304 MSM with HIV who cleared HCV, 42 reinfections occurred over 898 person-years, for an incidence rate of 4.7 per 100 person-years. Assessing 1245 postclearance visits, only receipt of semen into the rectum was associated with reinfection (hazard ratio, 9.7 [95% confidence interval: 3.3-28.3], P < .001); methamphetamine use was not.

Conclusions: The high HCV reinfection rate over almost 2 decades demonstrates that sexual transmission of HCV is not inefficient or unusual and that direct-acting antiviral treatment is not sufficient for HCV elimination among MSM in NYC. The contrasts between both the rates of and risk factors for primary and HCV reinfection suggest that HCV prevalence is highly heterogenous among sexual networks and that sexualized methamphetamine use, rather than mediating transmission, is instead a surrogate marker for the highest HCV prevalence networks. As neither condoms nor treatment have been successful strategies for HCV prevention in NYC, novel interventions are needed to stem this sexually transmitted HCV epidemic.

Keywords: condomless receptive anal intercourse (CRAI); ejaculation of semen into rectum; sexual networks; sexualized drug use; transmission.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Potential conflicts of interest . D. S. F. reports research funding from Gilead Sciences and Merck, paid to his institution. R. C. reports being on the speakers bureau for Gilead. K. J. B. reports being a paid speaker for Gilead, ViiV, Janssen, and Merck. All other authors report no potential conflicts. All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed.

References

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding