Purpose: In Sub-Saharan Africa, an important proportion of incident HIV cases occur among heterosexual serodiscordant couples (HSDC) but the majority of HIV negative partners can remain seronegative. These are called ...Purpose: In Sub-Saharan Africa, an important proportion of incident HIV cases occur among heterosexual serodiscordant couples (HSDC) but the majority of HIV negative partners can remain seronegative. These are called HIV-exposed seronegative (HESN). We aimed to compare immune activation (IA) levels between HESN, their HIV infected counterparts (HIV+ partners) and HIV unexposed uninfected individuals (HIV-neg Controls) and to evaluate the association between sexual exposure to HIV (SEHIV) and IA. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in Dakar, Senegal on 148 participants recruited between November 2013 and February 2014: 40 HIV-neg Controls, 54 HESN and 54 HIV+ Partners. SEHIV was evaluated individually using questionnaires. IA level was measured by plasma level of β2-microglobulin (β2m). Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the different associations. Results: The median levels of β2m were 1.57 mg/l (IQR: 1.37 - 1.77), 2.14 mg/l (IQR: 1.76 - 2.43) and 2.24 mg/l (IQR: 1.80 - 3.17) for HIV-neg Controls, HESN and HIV+ partners, respectively. After adjustment, HESN had similar levels of IA with HIV+ partners but significantly higher than that of HIV-neg Controls (adjusted OR = 6.28;95% CI: [2.19 - 18.00]). The association between IA and SEHIV was evaluated in the HIV negative individuals. High frequency of SEHIV was associated with a β2m > 2.2 mg/l (OR = 6.56;95% CI: [1.71 - 25.21]);significantly more than median cut off value of >1.81 mg/l. Conclusions: Our study shows that, despite being uninfected with HIV, HESN individuals show a high level of IA, which was depended on the level of SEHIV.展开更多
文摘Purpose: In Sub-Saharan Africa, an important proportion of incident HIV cases occur among heterosexual serodiscordant couples (HSDC) but the majority of HIV negative partners can remain seronegative. These are called HIV-exposed seronegative (HESN). We aimed to compare immune activation (IA) levels between HESN, their HIV infected counterparts (HIV+ partners) and HIV unexposed uninfected individuals (HIV-neg Controls) and to evaluate the association between sexual exposure to HIV (SEHIV) and IA. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in Dakar, Senegal on 148 participants recruited between November 2013 and February 2014: 40 HIV-neg Controls, 54 HESN and 54 HIV+ Partners. SEHIV was evaluated individually using questionnaires. IA level was measured by plasma level of β2-microglobulin (β2m). Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the different associations. Results: The median levels of β2m were 1.57 mg/l (IQR: 1.37 - 1.77), 2.14 mg/l (IQR: 1.76 - 2.43) and 2.24 mg/l (IQR: 1.80 - 3.17) for HIV-neg Controls, HESN and HIV+ partners, respectively. After adjustment, HESN had similar levels of IA with HIV+ partners but significantly higher than that of HIV-neg Controls (adjusted OR = 6.28;95% CI: [2.19 - 18.00]). The association between IA and SEHIV was evaluated in the HIV negative individuals. High frequency of SEHIV was associated with a β2m > 2.2 mg/l (OR = 6.56;95% CI: [1.71 - 25.21]);significantly more than median cut off value of >1.81 mg/l. Conclusions: Our study shows that, despite being uninfected with HIV, HESN individuals show a high level of IA, which was depended on the level of SEHIV.
