Recent HIV Infections in Italy: Data from the HIV National Surveillance System, 2012–2023
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Population and Study Design
- (a)
- Demographic characteristics: age at diagnosis, gender, nationality, geographical area of residence.
- (b)
- Laboratory and clinical data: date of first HIV positive test, date of last HIV negative test, first CD4 cell count, AIDS-defining conditions at the time of first HIV diagnosis, test for recent infection, clinical evidence of acute infection, clinical stage according to CDC classification.
- (c)
- Mode of transmission: injecting drug use (IDU), heterosexual female, heterosexual male, men who have sex with men (MSM), and other/unknown.
2.2. Definition of Recent Infection and Late Diagnosis
2.3. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
AIDS | Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome |
HIV | Human Immunodeficiency Virus |
WHO | World Health Organization |
UNAIDS | Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS |
EU/EEA | European Union/European Economic Area |
COVID-19 | Coronavirus 19 (SARS-CoV-2) |
ISS | [Istituto Superiore di Sanità] National Institute of Health |
IDU | Injecting Drug Users |
MSM | Men who have sex with men |
RITA | Recent Infection Testing Algorithm |
ART | Antiretroviral treatment |
LD | Late HIV diagnoses |
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Year | n. 1 of New HIV Diagnoses | n. 1 of New HIV Diagnoses with at Least One Criterion for Recent Infection | % 2 of New HIV Diagnoses with at Least One Criterion for Recent Infection | n. 1 of Recent Infections | % 2 of Recent Infections among New HIV Diagnoses With at Least One Criterion for Recent Infection |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | 4188 | 1919 | 45.8 | 429 | 22.4 |
2013 | 3859 | 1802 | 46.7 | 410 | 22.8 |
2014 | 3853 | 1802 | 46.8 | 455 | 25.2 |
2015 | 3623 | 1669 | 46.1 | 425 | 25.5 |
2016 | 3726 | 1708 | 45.8 | 340 | 19.9 |
2017 | 3619 | 1642 | 45.4 | 319 | 19.4 |
2018 | 3038 | 1261 | 41.5 | 279 | 22.1 |
2019 | 2510 | 1368 | 54.5 | 306 | 22.4 |
2020 | 1470 | 761 | 51.8 | 145 | 19.1 |
2021 | 1914 | 1129 | 59.0 | 172 | 15.2 |
2022 | 2140 | 1108 | 51.8 | 239 | 21.6 |
2023 | 2349 | 1389 | 59.1 | 255 | 18.4 |
Total | 36,289 | 17,558 | 48.4 | 3774 | 21.5 |
n. 1 of New HIV Diagnoses | n. 1 of New HIV Diagnoses with at Least 1 Test for Recent Infection | % 2 of New HIV Diagnoses with at Least 1 Test for Recent Infection | n. 1 of Recent Infections | % 2 of Recent Infections out of New HIV Diagnoses with at Least 1 Test for Recent Infection | OR 3 (95% C.I.) | aOR 4 (95% C.I.) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | 36,289 | 17,558 | 48.4 | 3774 | 21.5 | ||
Gender | |||||||
Female | 7950 | 3582 | 45.1 | 430 | 12.0 | 1 | |
Male | 28,339 | 13,976 | 49.3 | 3344 | 23.9 | 2.3 (2.1–2.6) * | |
Age | |||||||
15–24 | 3096 | 1411 | 45.6 | 427 | 30.3 | 3.2 (2.4–4.2) | 2.2 (1.7–3.0) * |
25–34 | 10,242 | 5215 | 50.9 | 1377 | 26.4 | 2.6 (2.0–3.4) | 1.8 (1.4–2.4) * |
35–44 | 10,257 | 5083 | 49.6 | 1101 | 21.7 | 2.0 (1.6–2.6) | 1.5 (1.2–2.0) § |
45–54 | 7692 | 3684 | 47.9 | 593 | 16.1 | 1.4 (1.1–1.8) | 1.1 (0.9–1.5) |
55–64 | 3487 | 1550 | 44.5 | 197 | 12.7 | 1.1 (0.8–1.4) | 1.0 (0.7–1.3) |
65+ | 1353 | 569 | 42.1 | 68 | 12.0 | 1 | 1 |
unknown | 162 | 46 | 28.4 | 11 | 23.9 | ||
Nationality | |||||||
Italian | 25,092 | 12,393 | 49.4 | 3022 | 24.4 | 1.9 (1.7–2.1) | 1.7 (1.5–1.9) * |
Non-Italian | 11,028 | 5109 | 46.3 | 741 | 14.5 | 1 | 1 |
unknown | 169 | 56 | 33.1 | 11 | 19.6 | ||
Geographical area of diagnosis | |||||||
North | 18,324 | 9728 | 53.1 | 2379 | 24.5 | 1.8 (1.6–2.0) | 1.7 (1.5–1.8) * |
Center | 9892 | 3964 | 40.1 | 804 | 20.3 | 1.4 (1.3–1.6) | 1.3 (1.1–1.4) * |
South and Islands | 8073 | 3866 | 47.9 | 591 | 15.3 | 1 | 1 |
Transmission mode | |||||||
Heterosexual females | 6736 | 3177 | 47.2 | 367 | 11.6 | 1 | 1 |
Heterosexual males | 9339 | 4005 | 42.9 | 585 | 14.6 | 1.3 (1.1–1.5) | 1.4 (1.2–1.6) * |
IDU 5 | 1411 | 767 | 54.4 | 118 | 15.4 | 1.4 (1.1–1.7) | 1.2 (0.9–1.5) |
MSM 6 | 14,481 | 8461 | 58.4 | 2517 | 29.7 | 3.1 (2.9–3.6) | 2.3 (2.0–2.6) * |
Other/unknown | 4322 | 1148 | 26.6 | 187 | 16.3 | 1.5 (1.2–1.8) | 1.4 (1.2–1.8) * |
CD4 cell count at diagnosis | |||||||
<350 cell/mL | 17,128 | 8509 | 49.7 | 958 | 11.3 | 1 | 1 |
≥350 cell/mL | 13,219 | 7716 | 58.4 | 2404 | 31.2 | 3.5 (3.1–4.0) | 2.8 (2.6–3.1) * |
unknown | 5942 | 1333 | 22.4 | 412 | 30.9 |
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Suligoi, B.; Regine, V.; Pugliese, L.; Galli, C. Recent HIV Infections in Italy: Data from the HIV National Surveillance System, 2012–2023. Pathogens 2025, 14, 835. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14090835
Suligoi B, Regine V, Pugliese L, Galli C. Recent HIV Infections in Italy: Data from the HIV National Surveillance System, 2012–2023. Pathogens. 2025; 14(9):835. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14090835
Chicago/Turabian StyleSuligoi, Barbara, Vincenza Regine, Lucia Pugliese, and Claudio Galli. 2025. "Recent HIV Infections in Italy: Data from the HIV National Surveillance System, 2012–2023" Pathogens 14, no. 9: 835. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14090835
APA StyleSuligoi, B., Regine, V., Pugliese, L., & Galli, C. (2025). Recent HIV Infections in Italy: Data from the HIV National Surveillance System, 2012–2023. Pathogens, 14(9), 835. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14090835