HIV Testing, Prevention and Care Interventions, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease (ISSN 2414-6366). This special issue belongs to the section "Infectious Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2025 | Viewed by 729

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Public Health and Health Sciences, College of Health, Human Services, and Nursing, California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA 90745, USA
Interests: vaccine; vaccinology; epidemiology; infectious diseases; public health; emerging infectious diseases; tropical neglected diseases
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Guest Editor
Colegio de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
Interests: HIV testing; HIV treatment; pharmacology; infectious diseases; global health; neglected diseases; pharmacogenetics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a growing problem all around the world that, if not diagnosed and treated early, might cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), the most advanced stage of HIV infection. The worldwide strategy promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations UNAIDS aims for 95% of people living with HIV to know their status, 95% of people diagnosed with HIV to be on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 95% of people on ART to achieve viral suppression. It is well known that the risk factors for HIV include having vaginal or anal sex with someone who is HIV-positive or whose HIV status is unknown; having sex with many partners; and injecting drugs and sharing needles, syringes, or other drug equipment with others. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US recommends that everyone 13 to 64 years of age get tested for HIV at least once as part of routine healthcare and that people at higher risk for HIV get tested more often. The healthcare provider of those over 64 years of age and at risk of HIV may recommend HIV testing. Also, the CDC recommends that all pregnant women get tested for HIV so that they can begin taking HIV medicines if they are HIV-positive. In addition, to achieve viral suppression, it is crucial that laboratory monitoring of this parameter is performed in the person living with HIV. However, full access to testing is not possible everywhere; this is not only due to a lack of resources but also as a result of legal, cultural, and religious barriers, plus the stigma associated with HIV. For those reasons, this Special Issue is primarily focused on sharing experiences and pitfalls in individuals’ realities with the aim of overcoming HIV testing barriers and developing strategies to set proper prevention and care interventions.

In addition, this Special Issue intends to be enriched with quantitative data, rather than descriptive studies, to provide additional tools for decision-makers focused on the important public health aspects concerning people with HIV, particularly to ensure that HIV is completely under control and improve the awareness of the HIV-negative population.

Dr. Ricardo Izurieta
Prof. Dr. Enrique Terán
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • HIV testing
  • HIV stigma
  • HIV prevention
  • HIV care

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

27 pages, 1879 KiB  
Article
Syndemic Synergy of HPV, HIV, and HSV-2 for Oncogenic HPV Replication in Female Sex Workers
by Jonathan Muwonga Tukisadila, Ralph-Sydney Mboumba Bouassa, Serge Tonen-Wolyec, Hugues Loemba, Jeremie Muwonga and Laurent Belec
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2025, 10(6), 157; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed10060157 - 7 Jun 2025
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Abstract
Background: Female sex workers (FSWs) in sub-Saharan Africa bear a disproportionate burden of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, high-risk HPV (HR-HPV), and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). This study evaluated possible association between HR-HPV, HIV, and HSV-2 among FSWs in the Democratic [...] Read more.
Background: Female sex workers (FSWs) in sub-Saharan Africa bear a disproportionate burden of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, high-risk HPV (HR-HPV), and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). This study evaluated possible association between HR-HPV, HIV, and HSV-2 among FSWs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 432 FSWs (mean age, 28.1 years) recruited via respondent-driven sampling. Genital self-sampling using the V-Veil UP2™ device was performed, followed by HPV genotyping and quantification by multiplex PCR, and HSV-2 DNA detection by PCR. Results: Among 415 participants, HR-HPV prevalence was 36.9%, with HPV-52 (14.9%), HPV-58 (10.1%), and HPV-16 (6.5%) as leading genotypes. Overall, 89% of HR-HPV-positive women harbored genotypes covered by Gardasil-9®. Co-infection with HIV and HSV-2 significantly increased HPV prevalence, genotype diversity, and viral load. Notably, HSV-2 positivity was the sole independent predictor of elevated replication of HR-HPV (p < 0.001), vaccine HR-HPV (p < 0.001), and non-vaccine HR-HPV (p < 0.021). Conclusions: FSWs exhibit a high burden of HR-HPV, shaped by co-infections with HIV and HSV-2. HSV-2 independently drives HR-HPV replication, highlighting its role in HPV persistence and cervical cancer risk. Integrated HSV-2 detection and Gardasil-9® vaccination should be prioritized in cervical cancer elimination strategies targeting high-risk populations in sub-Saharan Africa. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue HIV Testing, Prevention and Care Interventions, 2nd Edition)
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