Starks & colleagues speculated that HIV infection could alter host behavior in a manner that facilitated the spread of the virus; retrospective and self-report data from five studies now support this hypothesis

Does HIV infection increase male sexual behavior? Philip T Starks, Maxfield M G Kelsey, David Rosania, Wayne M Getz. Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, eoaa030, September 16 2020. https://doi.org/10.1093/emph/eoaa030

Abstract: After 40 years of intense study on HIV/AIDS, scientists have identified, amongst other things, at risk populations, stages of disease progression, and treatment strategies. What has received less attention is the possibility that infection might elicit an increase in sexual behavior in humans. In 2000, Starks and colleagues speculated that HIV infection could alter host behavior in a manner that facilitated the spread of the virus. Retrospective and self-report data from five studies now support this hypothesis. Individuals with acute – versus nonacute – stage infections report more sexual partners and more frequent risky sex. Additionally, male sexual behavior increases non-linearly with HIV viral load, and data suggest a potential threshold viral level above which individuals are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior. Taken together, these data suggest that HIV infection influences male sexual behavior in a manner beneficial to the virus. Here, we present these findings, highlight their limitations, and discuss alternative perspectives. We argue for increased testing of this hypothesis and advocate for increased public health measures to mitigate the putative impact on male sexual behavior.

Lay Summary: In 2000, Starks and colleagues speculated that HIV infection could alter host behavior in a manner that facilitated the spread of the virus. Retrospective and self-report data from five studies now support this hypothesis. We argue for increased testing of this hypothesis and advocate for increased public health measures to mitigate the putative impact on male sexual behavior.

Topic: hivdisease progressionsex behaviorsexual partnersviral load resultinfectionspublic health medicineviruseshiv infectionsself-report