TOPLINE:
Lineages involved in transmission bursts of HIV contribute to nearly three times more future transmission events than those not involved in bursts. Adolescents, gender minorities, and those with diagnoses of HIV during acute infection have a higher likelihood for burst involvement.
METHODOLOGY:
- Researchers performed a phylogenetic analysis of data from six geographic regions in the United States using sequences from persons with HIV who had a diagnosis of HIV infection between 2014 and 2019 to explore the influence of bursts of rapid HIV transmission on future transmission.
- Data on demographic, geographic, clinical, and genetic characteristics were obtained from the National HIV Surveillance System, and overall, 101,395 sequences were analyzed.
- Transmission bursts were defined as three or more consecutive…