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Poster Presentations
PS02 – POSTER VIEWING SESSION – TUESDAY
Tuesday, July 16, 2019 5:45 PM – 7:00 PM
P781 Patterns of HIV and STI among transgender women in eastern and southern U.S.: interim baseline findings from the LITE cohort
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  1. Andrea Wirtz1,
  2. Kenneth Mayer2,
  3. Asa Radix3,
  4. Charlotte Gaydos4,
  5. Tonia Poteat5,
  6. Erin Cooney1,
  7. Christopher Cannon6,
  8. Allan Rodriguez7,
  9. Andrew Wawrzyniak8,
  10. Jason Schneider9,
  11. Sonya Haw9,
  12. Chris Beyrer1,
  13. Keri Althoff1,
  14. Sari Reisner10
  1. 1Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Epidemiology, Baltimore, USA
  2. 2Fenway Health/The Fenway Institute, Boston, USA
  3. 3Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, New York, USA
  4. 4Johns Hopkins University, Division of Infectious Diseases, Baltimore, USA
  5. 5University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Center for Health Equity Research, Chapel Hill, USA
  6. 6Whitman Walker Health, Washington, USA
  7. 7University of Miami, School of Medicine, Miami, USA
  8. 8University of Miami, Department of Psychiatry, Miami, USA
  9. 9Emory University, School of Medicine, Atlanta, USA
  10. 10Boston Children’s Hospital, General Pediatrics, Boston, USA

Abstract

Background Transgender women (TGW) in the U.S. experience a disproportionate burden of HIV and STIs. National HIV/STI surveillance does not report statistics for TGW. We describe the baseline prevalence and characteristics of HIV and STI among a cohort of TGW enrolled across 6 cities in eastern and southern US to-date.

Methods Adult TGW, regardless of HIV status, are recruited and enrolled in a baseline screening visit. Participants complete a socio-behavioral survey, oral HIV screening, urine and self-collected anal and vaginal specimens for Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) testing, and serum treponemal syphilis testing and rapid plasma reagin (RPR) testing with quantitative RPR titers. Participants with negative HIV antibody test results at baseline and HIV-related risk behaviors are enrolled into the cohort.

Results Enrollment launched in March 2018. As of December 2018, 620 TGW completed baseline. Of these, 30% were identified with HIV at baseline and 63% enrolled into the HIV-uninfected cohort. Forty-percent reported a lifetime diagnosis of any STI. At baseline, 34% of HIV-infected participants and 12% of HIV-uninfected participants had ≥=1 laboratory-confirmed STI. Baseline prevalence among all participants included: 2% rectal GC, 0% urogenital GC, 5% rectal CT, 1% urogenital CT, and 13% active syphilis determined by RPR and treponemal results. None of the 38 participants with self-reported history of vaginoplasty had GC or CT at the neovaginal site. Active syphilis infection was associated with residence in a southern city (aOR: 3.8, 95%CI:1.7–8.6), identification as Black and/or Latinx (aOR: 3.7; 95%CI:1.1–12.7), concern about safety in transit to healthcare (aOR: 1.9; 95%CI:1.1–3.3), and positive baseline HIV antibody test (aOR: 3.1; 95%CI:1.7–5.7).

Conclusion TGW in this 6-city baseline cohort have a high prevalence of HIV and STI. Study findings highlight demographic disparities, high HIV/syphilis co-infection, and barriers related to safety that may impede prompt diagnosis and treatment of STI and HIV in American TGW.

Disclosure No significant relationships.

  • transgender persons
  • HIV
  • modeling and prevalence

https://doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2019-sti.838

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