Global and regional molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 among men who have sex with men: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES

The diversity of HIV-1 genotypes among Men who have sex with men (MSM) globally has changed considerably. The purpose of this study to assess the global prevalence of HIV-1 genotypes among MSM.

METHODS

PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were systematically searched to identify the articles. Pooled prevalence of HIV-1 genotypes was calculated and subgroup analyses were performed to examine the prevalence estimates across time and locations.

RESULTS

A total of 95 studies were included in the final analysis, including 84,622 successfully genotyped samples. The predominant strains were CRF01_AE (34.46%), subtype B (31.16%), and CRF07_BC (24.72%). In subgroup analyses, Subtype B and C showed a declining trend over the years. However, CRF07_BC exhibited a consistent year-on-year increase, while CRF01_AE experienced a slight reduction after 2018. Notably, both subtypes currently account for more than 35% of the total. In addition, the distribution of HIV-1 subtypes in this population shown a clear regional distribution. Regionally, subtype B predominated in Latin America and Europe, CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC in Asia and China, while subtype C and CRF02_AG were dominant in Africa and the Middle East.

CONCLUSIONS

Global and regions MSM HIV-1 subtypes are becoming more complex over time and the prevalence of recombinant viruses is increasing. Ongoing and effective surveillance of the global and regional molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 in MSM is critical for developing targeted preventive control measures against HIV.