SynthesisAIDS (London, England)2018
Global population-level association between herpes simplex virus 2 prevalence and HIV prevalence.
Synthesis in AIDS (London, England), 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Epidemiology of herpes simplex virus type 2 in Latin America and the Caribbean: systematic review, meta-analyses and metaregressions.Sexually transmitted infections · 2021Pooled it
- Global epidemiology ofSexually transmitted infections · 2021Pooled it
- HSV-2 as a biomarker of HIV epidemic potential in female sex workers: meta-analysis, global epidemiology and implications.Scientific reports · 2020Pooled it
- Epidemiology ofJournal of global health · 2019Pooled it
- Oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis in Alzheimer's disease associated with HSV-1 and CMV coinfection.Virology journal · 2025Trial
- Trial
- Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Screening in Persons with and Without HIV: Evidence, Challenges, and Future Directions.Current HIV/AIDS reports · 2026Review
- Quantifying population-level sexual risk behavior through HSV-2 transmission dynamics in the United States, 1950-2020.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Can the prevalence of one STI serve as a predictor for another? A mathematical modeling analysis.Infectious Disease Modelling · 2025Article
- Prevalence of syphilis infection among migrant workers in Qatar: a nationwide cross-sectional survey.BMJ open · 2024Article
- Understanding dynamics and overlapping epidemiologies of HIV, HSV-2, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis in sexual networks of men who have sex with men.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Prevalence and Association with Inflammatory Cytokines Among Sexual and Gender Minorities Living With and Without HIV-1 from Lagos, Nigeria.AIDS research and human retroviruses · 2023Article
- Epidemiology of herpes simplex virus type 2 in Europe: systematic review, meta-analyses, and meta-regressions.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2023Article
- Anti-herpes simplex virus activities and mechanisms of marine derived compounds.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2023Review
- LAMP3/CD63 Expression in Early and Late Endosomes in Human Vaginal Epithelial Cells Is Associated with Enhancement of HSV-2 Infection.Journal of virology · 2022Article
- Papillomatous Anogenital Lesions in a Patient With Human Immunodeficiency Virus.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2022Article
- A tale of four studies: HIV vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy in clinical trials.The lancet. HIV · 2021Review
- Analytic Characterization of the Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Epidemic in the United States, 1950-2050.Open forum infectious diseases · 2021Article
- Epidemiology of herpes simplex virus type 2 in sub-Saharan Africa: Systematic review, meta-analyses, and meta-regressions.EClinicalMedicine · 2021Article
- Seroprevalence and characterisation of herpes simplex virus from human immunodeficiency virus in samples collected from two provinces in South Africa: a retrospective study.F1000Research · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOur objective was to assess the population-level association between herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) and HIV prevalence.
methodsReports of HSV-2 and HIV prevalence were systematically reviewed and synthesized following PRISMA guidelines. Spearman rank correlation ((Equation is included in full-text article.)) was used to assess correlations. Risk ratios (RRHSV-2/HIV) and odds ratios (ORHSV-2/HIV) were used to assess HSV-2/HIV epidemiologic overlap. DerSimonian-Laird random-effects meta-analyses were conducted.
resultsIn total, 939 matched HSV-2/HIV prevalence measures were identified from 77 countries. HSV-2 prevalence was consistently higher than HIV prevalence. Strong HSV-2/HIV prevalence association was found for all data ((Equation is included in full-text article.) = 0.6, P < 0.001), all data excluding people who inject drugs (PWID) and children ((Equation is included in full-text article.) = 0.7, P < 0.001), female sex workers ((Equation is included in full-text article.) = 0.5, P < 0.001), and MSM ((Equation is included in full-text article.) = 0.7, P < 0.001). No association was found for PWID ((Equation is included in full-text article.) = 0.2, P = 0.222) and children ((Equation is included in full-text article.) = 0.3, P = 0.082). A threshold effect was apparent where HIV prevalence was limited at HSV-2 prevalence less than 20%, but grew steadily with HSV-2 prevalence for HSV-2 prevalence greater than 20%. The overall pooled mean RRHSV-2/HIV was 5.0 (95% CI 4.7-5.3) and ORHSV-2/HIV was 9.0 (95% CI 8.4-9.7). The RRHSV-2/HIV and ORHSV-2/HIV showed similar patterns that conveyed inferences about HSV-2 and HIV epidemiology.
conclusionHSV-2 and HIV prevalence are strongly associated. HSV-2 prevalence can be used as a proxy 'biomarker' of HIV epidemic potential, acting as a 'temperature scale' of the intensity of sexual risk behavior that drive HIV transmission. HSV-2 prevalence can be used to identify populations and/or sexual networks at high-risk of future HIV expansion, and help prioritization, optimization, and resource allocation of cost-effective prevention interventions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.