Same-sex behavior and high rates of HIV among men attending sexually transmitted infection clinics in Pune, India (1993-2002).

Objectives: To determine HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevalence, trends, and risk behaviors of men who have sex with men (MSM) and compare these with those of non-MSM attending STI clinics in Pune, India over a 10-year period.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Methods: From 1993 through 2002, men attending 3 STI clinics in Pune underwent HIV/STI screening.

Limited evolution in the HIV type 1 pol region among acute seroconverters in Pune, India.

India has the second largest burden of HIV-1-infected persons worldwide. Access to antiretroviral drugs in India is increasing. We analyzed HIV-1 protease and reverse transcriptase sequences in 12 acute seroconverters from Pune, India, and evaluated HIV-1 evolution in these individuals over time.

Male circumcision and risk of HIV-1 and other sexually transmitted infections in India.

Circumcised men have a lower risk of HIV-1 infection than uncircumcised men. Laboratory findings suggest that the foreskin is enriched with HIV-1 target cells. However, some data suggest that circumcision could simply be a marker for low-risk behaviours.

Recent herpes simplex virus type 2 infection and the risk of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 acquisition in India.

To estimate the impact of prevalent and incident herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection on the acquisition of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), stored serum samples from a cohort of 2732 HIV-1-seronegative patients attending 3 sexually transmitted infection clinics and 1 reproductive tract infection clinic in Pune, India, were screened for HSV-2-specific antibodies. Incident HSV-2 infection was defined serologically as "recent" if a negative result of testing for HSV-2 could be documented within the previous 6 months or "remote" if >6 months had elapsed since the last negative test result. The prevalence of HSV-2 at enrollment was 43%.

Rapid disease progression in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected seroconverters in India.

To determine if the early immunological and virological events of HIV infection are unique in a setting with limited access to health care and HIV-1 subtype C infection, we undertook a prospective cohort study to characterize the early natural history of HIV viral load and CD4(+) T lymphocyte counts in individuals with recent HIV seroconversion in India. CD4(+) T lymphocyte counts were prospectively measured for up to 720 days in 46 antiviral drug-naive persons with very early HIV infection, documented by HIV antibody seroconversion. HIV viral RNA levels were measured subsequently on reposited plasma samples from these same time points.