Douglas S. Kwon, MD, PhD, Rajesh T. Gandhi, MD reviewing Noguera-Julian M et al. EBioMedicine 2016 Mar.

Men who have sex with men were found to have different gut bacterial microbiomes than men who do not have sex with men, independent of HIV status.

The human gut harbors an enormously diverse community of microorganisms, collectively referred to as the microbiome, which has been linked to chronic inflammation and a variety of conditions, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Several cross-sectional studies have indicated that HIV infection is associated with alteration in the gut microbiome, but whether sexual practices have an effect is unknown. To address this question, European researchers characterized two cohorts comprising 156 individuals in Barcelona (129 HIV-positive, 27 HIV-negative) and 84 individuals in Stockholm (77 HIV-positive, 7 HIV-negative).The frequency of antibiotic use in the previous 3 to 6 months was not significantly different between the HIV-positive and HIV-negative groups.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) had Prevotella-dominant microbiomes, whereas men who do not have sex with men had Bacteroides-dominant microbiomes. Prevotella-dominant gut communities have previously been reported as being associated with HIV infection. However, the finding in MSM was independent of HIV infection status. MSM also had higher gut bacterial diversity and richness, two characteristics that are associated with healthy gut communities. Bacterial richness was lower in HIV-infected patients, especially those who had CD4 cell counts of <300/mm3 despite virologic suppression on therapy (virologic–immunologic discordance). HIV-infected patients who initiated therapy during the first 6 months of infection had preserved bacterial richness, suggesting a beneficial effect of early treatment.

Citation(s):

Noguera-Julian M et al. Gut microbiota linked to sexual preference and HIV infection. EBioMedicine 2016 Mar; 5:135
 

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