An Approach to Quantifying the Interaction between Behavioral and Transmission Clusters

We hypothesize that patterns of sexual behavior play a role in the conformation of transmission networks, i.e., the way you behave might influence whom you have sex with. If that was the case, behavioral grouping might in turn correlate with, and potentially predict transmission networking, e.g., pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Viruses 2022-04, Vol.14 (4), p.784
Main Authors: Salazar-Vizcaya, Luisa, Kusejko, Katharina, Günthard, Huldrych F, Böni, Jürg, Metzner, Karin J, Braun, Dominique L, Nicca, Dunja, Bernasconi, Enos, Calmy, Alexandra, Darling, Katharine E A, Wandeler, Gilles, Kouyos, Roger D, Rauch, Andri, The Swiss Hiv Cohort Study
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Classification
clusters
Cohort Studies
Conformation
COVID-19
COVID-19 - epidemiology
Expected values
Hepacivirus - genetics
Hepatitis C
hepatitis C virus
HIV
HIV Infections
Homosexuality, Male
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
Infections
Male
Phylogeny
Prevalence
Sexual behavior
transmission networks
Trends
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Summary:We hypothesize that patterns of sexual behavior play a role in the conformation of transmission networks, i.e., the way you behave might influence whom you have sex with. If that was the case, behavioral grouping might in turn correlate with, and potentially predict transmission networking, e.g., proximity in a viral phylogeny. We rigorously present an intuitive approach to address this hypothesis by quantifying mapped interactions between groups defined by similarities in sexual behavior along a virus phylogeny while discussing power and sample size considerations. Data from the Swiss HIV Cohort Study on condom use and hepatitis C virus (HCV) sequences served as proof-of-concept. In this case, a strict inclusion criteria contrasting with low HCV prevalence hindered our possibilities to identify significant relationships. This manuscript serves as guide for studies aimed at characterizing interactions between behavioral patterns and transmission networks. Large transmission networks such as those of HIV or COVID-19 are prime candidates for applying this methodological approach.
ISSN:1999-4915
1999-4915
DOI:10.3390/v14040784