Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25887543›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2015

Bridging epidemiology with population genetics in a low incidence MSM-driven HIV-1 subtype B epidemic in Central Europe.

Maja M Lunar, Anne-Mieke Vandamme, Janez Tomažič, Primož Karner, Tomaž D Vovko, Blaž Pečavar, Gabriele Volčanšek, Mario Poljak, Ana B Abecasis

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 23% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
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  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Integrating molecular epidemiology and social network analysis to study infectious diseases: Towards a socio-molecular era for public health.Infection, genetics and evolution : journal of molecular epidemiology and evolutionary genetics in infectious diseases · 2016
    Review
  7. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Maja M LunarInstitute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia. maja.lunar@mf.uni-lj.si.
Anne-Mieke VandammeKU Leuven - University of Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, B-3000, Leuven, Belgium. annemie.vandamme@uzleuven.be.
Janez TomažičDepartment of Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia. janez.tomazic@kclj.si.
Primož KarnerDepartment of Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia. primoz.karner@guest.arnes.si.
Tomaž D VovkoDepartment of Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia. tomaz.vovko@kclj.si.
Blaž PečavarDepartment of Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia. blaz.pecavar@gmail.com.
Gabriele VolčanšekDepartment of Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia. gabi.volcansek@gmail.com.
Mario PoljakInstitute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia. mario.poljak@mf.uni-lj.si.
Ana B AbecasisUnidade de Saúde Pública Internacional e Bioestatística e Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal. ana.abecasis@gmail.com.
Ljubljana University Medical Centre · SIUniversity of Ljubljana · SIKU Leuven · BEUniversidade Nova de Lisboa · PT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe HIV-1 epidemic in Slovenia, a small Central European country, has some characteristics that make it an ideal model to study HIV-1 transmission. The epidemic is predominantly affecting men who have sex with men infected with subtype B (89% of all patients), has a low prevalence (less than 1/1000) and is growing slowly. The aim of the present study was to analyze in detail the evolutionary history and the determinants of transmission.

methodsA total of 223 partial pol gene sequences from therapy naïve individuals were included, representing 52% of all patients newly diagnosed in 13 years (2000-2012) and analyzed together with genetically similar worldwide sequences, selected in a BLAST search.

resultsCombined analysis (maximum likelihood and Bayesian) of HIV-1 transmission chains revealed 8 major clusters (n ≥ 10 patients), 1 group of 4 patients, 2 trios and 12 transmission pairs, thus leaving only 43 (19.3%) Slovenian patients infected with subtype B without a local epidemiological link, indicating a predominance of local transmission of HIV-1 infection. Bayesian analysis performed on a full set of sequences estimated several introductions of HIV-1 into Slovenia, with the most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) of the earliest Slovenian cluster dated to the late 1980s, although tMRCAs obtained from separate independent analysis of each cluster showed considerably more recent estimates. These findings indicate inconsistencies in molecular clock estimation, which we further explored. We hypothesize that these inconsistent dating estimates across the tree could be caused by an evolutionary rate acceleration of HIV-1 after entering the Slovenia epidemic that is not taken into account by the molecular clock model. It could be caused by a lower transmission rate in this setting, as demonstrated by the low epidemic growth rate estimated by Bayesian skyline plot analysis.

conclusionsHIV-1 subtype B was introduced into Slovenia at several time points from the late 80s onward. The majority of patients had a local transmission link, indicating a closed HIV community. The observed slower epidemic rate suggests that individuals with a long-lasting infection are the driving force of the epidemic in this region.

Indexed as

HIV-1AdultCluster AnalysisEpidemicsEuropeFemaleGenes, polGenetics, PopulationHIV InfectionsHomosexuality, MaleHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedPhylogenyPrevalence

Identifiers

PMID25887543
PMCPMC4345027
OpenAlexW2121477453

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.