Evidence from HIV sequencing for blood-borne transmission in Africa
Background: The consensus view that heterosexual transmission dominates human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa survives side-by-side with surveys and studies reporting infections in children with HIV-negative mothers, in virgins, and in adolescents and adults who claim...
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AOSIS
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Public Health in Africa |
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| Online Access: | https://publichealthinafrica.org/index.php/jphia/article/view/715 |
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| author | David Gisselquist Simon Collery |
| author_facet | David Gisselquist Simon Collery |
| author_sort | David Gisselquist |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: The consensus view that heterosexual transmission dominates human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa survives side-by-side with surveys and studies reporting infections in children with HIV-negative mothers, in virgins, and in adolescents and adults who claim no possible sexual exposure to HIV.
Aim: In this scoping review, we aim to show what phylogenetic analyses of HIV sequences say about the possible contribution of blood-borne transmission to HIV epidemics.
Setting: The focus was on sub-Saharan Africa.
Method: The authors conducted a search on PubMed and other platforms for studies reporting phylogenetic analyses of HIV in blood samples collected from at least 100 infected adults through community-based surveys in sub-Saharan Africa. They focussed on identifying information pertinent to assessing blood-borne transmission.
Results: Sixteen reports met the search criteria and provided information to assess blood-borne transmission. In five studies, similar HIV sequences from (reported or assumed) household couples identified a likely heterosexual source for 0.3% – 7.5% of community adults with sequenced HIV. In 10 studies, a median of 43% of sequence pairs linked two people of the same sex. Two studies report clusters of recent infections too large to be easily explained by sexual transmission.
Conclusion: Evidence from sequencing agrees with much other evidence that blood-borne HIV transmission is not rare in sub-Saharan Africa. Evidence also allows that blood-borne transmission could be making a major contribution to Africa’s HIV epidemics.
Contribution: Evidence of harm is sufficient to stimulate discussions about what more could be done to address this continuing problem. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-86c01d795c704994b448bc8583ac2f39 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2038-9922 2038-9930 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Public Health in Africa |
| spelling | doaj-art-86c01d795c704994b448bc8583ac2f392025-08-20T02:24:23ZengAOSISJournal of Public Health in Africa2038-99222038-99302025-04-01161e1e910.4102/jphia.v16i1.715857Evidence from HIV sequencing for blood-borne transmission in AfricaDavid Gisselquist0Simon Collery1Independent Researcher, Hershey, PennsylvaniaBorough of Camden, London Independent Researcher, LondonBackground: The consensus view that heterosexual transmission dominates human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa survives side-by-side with surveys and studies reporting infections in children with HIV-negative mothers, in virgins, and in adolescents and adults who claim no possible sexual exposure to HIV. Aim: In this scoping review, we aim to show what phylogenetic analyses of HIV sequences say about the possible contribution of blood-borne transmission to HIV epidemics. Setting: The focus was on sub-Saharan Africa. Method: The authors conducted a search on PubMed and other platforms for studies reporting phylogenetic analyses of HIV in blood samples collected from at least 100 infected adults through community-based surveys in sub-Saharan Africa. They focussed on identifying information pertinent to assessing blood-borne transmission. Results: Sixteen reports met the search criteria and provided information to assess blood-borne transmission. In five studies, similar HIV sequences from (reported or assumed) household couples identified a likely heterosexual source for 0.3% – 7.5% of community adults with sequenced HIV. In 10 studies, a median of 43% of sequence pairs linked two people of the same sex. Two studies report clusters of recent infections too large to be easily explained by sexual transmission. Conclusion: Evidence from sequencing agrees with much other evidence that blood-borne HIV transmission is not rare in sub-Saharan Africa. Evidence also allows that blood-borne transmission could be making a major contribution to Africa’s HIV epidemics. Contribution: Evidence of harm is sufficient to stimulate discussions about what more could be done to address this continuing problem.https://publichealthinafrica.org/index.php/jphia/article/view/715hivtransmissionafricablood-bornesequencing |
| spellingShingle | David Gisselquist Simon Collery Evidence from HIV sequencing for blood-borne transmission in Africa Journal of Public Health in Africa hiv transmission africa blood-borne sequencing |
| title | Evidence from HIV sequencing for blood-borne transmission in Africa |
| title_full | Evidence from HIV sequencing for blood-borne transmission in Africa |
| title_fullStr | Evidence from HIV sequencing for blood-borne transmission in Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evidence from HIV sequencing for blood-borne transmission in Africa |
| title_short | Evidence from HIV sequencing for blood-borne transmission in Africa |
| title_sort | evidence from hiv sequencing for blood borne transmission in africa |
| topic | hiv transmission africa blood-borne sequencing |
| url | https://publichealthinafrica.org/index.php/jphia/article/view/715 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT davidgisselquist evidencefromhivsequencingforbloodbornetransmissioninafrica AT simoncollery evidencefromhivsequencingforbloodbornetransmissioninafrica |