HSIN-YUN SUNSUI-YUAN CHANGYang Z.-Y.Lu C.-L.Wu H.Yeh C.-C.Liu W.-C.Hsieh C.-Y.CHIEN-CHING HUNGSHAN-CHWEN CHANG2020-06-182020-06-1820120095-1137https://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/503540Outbreaks of sexually transmitted hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections have been recently reported in HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) in Europe, Australia, and North America. Little is known concerning whether this also occurs in other Asia- Pacific countries. Between 1994 and 2010, a prospective observational cohort study was performed to assess the incidence of recent HCV seroconversion in 892 HIV-infected patients (731 MSM and 161 heterosexuals) who were not injecting drug users. A nested case-control study was conducted to identify associated factors with recent HCV seroconversion, and phylogenetic analysis was performed using NS5B sequences amplified from seroconverters. During a total followup duration of 4,270 person-years (PY), 30 patients (3.36%) had HCV seroconversion, with an overall incidence rate of 7.03 per 1,000 PY. The rate increased from 0 in 1994 to 2000 and 2.29 in 2001 to 2005 to 10.13 per 1,000 PY in 2006 to 2010 (P<0.05). After adjustment for age and HIV transmission route, recent syphilis remained an independent factor associated with HCV seroconversion (odds ratio, 7.731; 95% confidence interval, 3.131 to 19.086; P<0.01). In a nested case-control study, seroconverters had higher aminotranferase levels and were more likely to have CD4?200 cells/ μl and recent syphilis than nonseroconverters (P<0.05). Among the 21 patients with HCV viremia, phylogenetic analysis revealed 7 HCV transmission clusters or pairs (4 within genotype 1b, 2 within genotype 2a, and 1 within genotype 3a). The incidence of HCV seroconversion that is associated with recent syphilis is increasing among HIV-infected patients in Taiwan. Copyright ? 2012, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.[SDGs]SDG3aminotransferase; antiretrovirus agent; nonstructural protein 5B; adult; article; cohort analysis; controlled study; drug use; female; genotype; hepatitis C; Hepatitis C virus; heterosexuality; hospital based case control study; human; human cell; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human immunodeficiency virus infected patient; Human immunodeficiency virus infection; incidence; infection risk; major clinical study; male; male homosexual; nonhuman; nucleotide sequence; observational study; phylogeny; priority journal; prospective study; risk assessment; risk factor; seroconversion; syphilis; Taiwan; viremia; virus transmission; Adult; Case-Control Studies; Cluster Analysis; Cohort Studies; Genotype; Hepacivirus; Hepatitis C; HIV Infections; Humans; Incidence; Male; Middle Aged; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Sequence Homology; Taiwan; Viral Nonstructural Proteinsjournal article10.1128/JCM.06014-11221891132-s2.0-84863163867