The epidemiology of HIV infection in Edinburgh related to the injecting of drugs: an historical perspective and new insight regarding the past incidence of HIV infection derived from retrospective HIV antibody testing of stored samples of serum.

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

J Infect. 1996 Jan;32(1):53-62. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/97005241
Burns SM; Brettle RP; Gore SM; Peutherer JF; Robertson JR; Regional Virus Laboratory, City Hospital, Edinburgh, U.K.

Abstract: The pattern of sudden explosive outbreaks of HIV infection among drug users has been seen in several countries but is as yet incompletely understood. The epidemic of injecting drugs in Edinburgh was associated with at least four overlapping epidemics of blood-borne viruses (hepatitis B, C, D and HIV). Only hepatitis B was initially recognized, being followed by HIV and latterly hepatitis C. Retrospective HIV testing of stored samples of serum from clinically diagnosed patients with HIV has allowed the HIV epidemic to be delineated and more accurate seroconversion dates identified for most of the patients. There is evidence to suggest that the explosive drug-related Edinburgh HIV epidemic may have been self-terminating and that the epidemic in male drug users preceded that in female drug users by around 3 months. We suggest that the self-terminating nature of this epidemic may have been related to changes in drug injecting behaviour or to varying infectivity of the virus. This latter possibility should be explored in future studies of HIV transmission.

Keywords: Adult Comparative Study Female Human HIV Infections/*EPIDEMIOLOGY/*ETIOLOGY HIV Seroprevalence Male Needle Sharing Retrospective Studies Scotland/EPIDEMIOLOGY Substance Abuse, Intravenous/*COMPLICATIONS Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Time Factors JOURNAL ARTICLE
970228
M9721849

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