Study Finds That Serosorting Increases Risk Of HIV Transmission
A recent study published in Sexually Transmitted Diseases finds that the practice of serosorting has become increasingly common among men who have sex with men and leads to increased risk of HIV transmission.
Serosorting is the practice of choosing to participate in unprotected sexual intercourse with partners of the same HIV status. The purpose of the study was to determine the relative risk of HIV acquisition due to serosorting in comparison with non-serosorting.
Results showed that serosorting is not likely to be beneficial to men who have sex with men because of the high number of undiagnosed HIV infections in this population. In environments with low HIV testing rates, serosorting can potentially double the risk of acquisition.
The practice of serosorting is risky because one or both partners may be unsure or untruthful regarding their HIV status. They may also be positive for other sexually transmitted diseases that serosorting does not take into account.
Additionally, because of the variability between HIV virus strains some infections are more drug-resistant or aggressive than others. Thus even between two HIV-positive individuals, one partner runs the risk of acquiring a more damaging viral infection than they were originally infected with.
Without the use of protection, two positive partners are each at risk of developing a dual HIV infection, where a person is infected with more than one strain of HIV, which has been associated with earlier onset of AIDS.
The study concluded that serosorting should only be undertaken with caution. To minimize transmission risk it is important to undergo frequent HIV testing and use condoms regularly, especially among high-risk individuals.
For more information, please see the published study on the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Web site (abstract).
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