AIDS Res Ther. 2025 Aug 30;22(1):86. doi: 10.1186/s12981-025-00776-y.
ABSTRACT
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.
PMID:40886010 | DOI:10.1186/s12981-025-00776-y
