Seroprevalence and correlates of hepatitis A among HIV-negative American men who have sex with men
Stephanie R. Bialek A H , Vaughn Barry A , Beth P. Bell A , Linda A. Valleroy B , Stephanie Behel B , Duncan A. MacKellar B , Gina Secura B , Hanne Thiede C , Willi McFarland D , Wesley L. Ford E , Trista A. Bingham E , Douglas A. Shehan F , David D. Celentano G and for the Young Men’s Survey Study Group
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Division of Viral Diseases, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA 30030, USA.
B Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, NCHHSTP, CDC, Atlanta, GA 30030, USA.
C Public Health-Seattle, Seattle WA and King County, Seattle, WA 98104, USA.
D San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA.
E Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA 90012, USA.
F University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
G Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
H Corresponding author. Email: Sbialek@cdc.gov
Sexual Health 8(3) 343-348 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH10162
Submitted: 14 December 2010 Accepted: 11 March 2011 Published: 17 August 2011
Abstract
Background: Hepatitis A outbreaks are well documented among men who have sex with men (MSM). This analysis examines characteristics associated with hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection among a large group of young adult MSM from five USA cities. Methods: The Young Men’s Survey was a cross-sectional prevalence study of HIV infection and related behavioural risk factors among MSM aged 15–29 years during 1994–2000. Serum specimens from HIV-negative participants were retrospectively tested for antibodies to HAV (anti-HAV). Data were stratified by ethnicity and analysed with logistic regression. Results: Overall anti-HAV prevalence was 18.4% among the 2708 participants, and varied by ethnicity from 6.9 to 45.3% and was highest among Hispanic and Asian men (P < 0.001). Prevalence increased with age across all racial/ethnic groups. Among white men, anti-HAV positivity was associated with having 20 or more lifetime male sex partners for those aged 15–22 years (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.0–4.1) and ever having had unprotected anal sex for those aged 23–29 years (AOR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.2–4.5). Conclusions: Factors associated with a history of HAV infection among MSM in non-outbreak settings are probably similar to those among non-MSM. MSM are still at risk for HAV infection as a result of outbreaks occurring in MSM communities. Additional studies of hepatitis A vaccination coverage are needed to determine if strategies to vaccinate MSM are adequate.
Additional keywords: hepatitis A, hepatitis A vaccination, MSM, prevalence, USA, young men’s study.
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