Subtypes of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Circulating in Professional Sex Workers Community: A Different Epidemiology

Abstract

Background: HIV-1 has a genetic diversity that is equal to the complexity of its management. Professional Sex Workers (PSW) have always been considered as a key population for Sexually Transmitted Infections around the world. They are often incriminated for transporting and introducing cosmopolitan subtypes into populations. Objective: The objective of this review was to present the different strains of Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) which circulate in the population of Professional Sex Workers in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and their evolution. Methods: Various publications related to the identification of the different variants of HIV-1 among PSW in Kinshasa-DRC were the subject of this literature review. The research for these different works on the different variants of type 1 HIV was done on the internet from websites using specific keywords. The search was limited to published work and abstracts presented from 2000 to date. The manuscripts were selected according to the relevance of the methodology, the results as well as the representativeness of the samples. The socio-demographic information of the populations studied, the measurement methods and the objectives were taken into account in the evaluation of the articles. Results: From 2000 to 2021, 2 works were documented carried out mainly on the PSWs for Kinshasa-DRC meeting the various selection criteria. In 2012, according to the IBBS, subtype A was dominant with 4 PSWs (30.8%), followed by subtypes G with 2 PSWs (15.4%) and C with 1 PSW (7.7%). In 2014, according to Kamangu NE et al, the dominant subtype was K in 5 patients (25%), followed by subtypes A and G in 3 patients each (15%). Conclusion: It emerges from this work that this key population is a group with a complex and special epidemiology. The prevalence of subtype A has been declining over the years while other subtypes are on the rise.