High HIV/STI prevalence among cisgender men and transgender women sex workers attending community-based centres in Barcelona, Spain: The Sweetie Project

• Published in: International journal of STD & AIDS Vol. 33; no. 12; p. 1045
• Main Authors: Ferrer, Laia, González, Victoria, Martró, Elisa, Folch, Cinta, Saludes, Verónica, Muñoz, Rafael, Rodríguez, Vanesa, Morales, Adriana, Meroño, Mercè, Morey, Francisca, Sanjosé, Sílvia de, Casabona, Jordi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.10.2022
• Subjects: Chlamydia Infections - epidemiology; Chlamydia trachomatis; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Gonorrhea - epidemiology; Gonorrhea - microbiology; Hepatitis C; HIV Infections - epidemiology; Homosexuality, Male; Humans; Male; Neisseria gonorrhoeae; Prevalence; Seroepidemiologic Studies; Sex Workers; Sexually Transmitted Diseases - epidemiology; Spain - epidemiology; Transgender Persons; Spain; Neisseria gonorrhoeae; HIV; cisgender men; hepatitis B virus; sex work; sexual behaviours; hepatitis C virus; Chlamydia trachomatis; transgender; health-seeking behaviours
• ISSN: 1758-1052
• DOI: 10.1177/09564624221116536

The aim of this study was to describe the socio-demographics, and the sexual and health-seeking behaviours of cisgender men and transgender women sex workers (M & TWSW) attending community-based organisations (CBOs) in Barcelona, Spain, as well as to estimate the prevalence of HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), (CT) and (NG) among them at different anatomical sites. The Sweetie Project was a community-based cross-sectional study of 147 M & TWSW recruited in two CBOs in Barcelona between 2017 and 2018. A nurse collected biological samples from rectum, pharynx and urethra from the subjects at each CBO and the participants self-completed an epidemiological questionnaire. The highest prevalence observed was for HIV infection (25.3%) followed by bacterial STIs (NG 19.2% and CT 10.3%). The most prevalent anatomical site was pharyngeal (17.7%) followed by rectal (13.8%). More than half of participants who had a pharyngeal infection presented an isolated pharyngeal infection (57.7%) and half of those who had a rectal or urethral infection presented an isolated infection respectively. The seroprevalence of HCV and HBV was 2.4% and 34.2% respectively. There was a poor but statistically significant correlation between HIV and rectal CT infection ( = 0.31), previous exposure to HCV ( = 0.27) or self-reported STI ( = 0.23), as well as between previous exposure to HCV and rectal CT ( = 0.21) or self-reported STI ( = 0.20). The Sweetie Project confirms the high burden of HIV and bacterial STIs among a sample of M&TWSW recruited in CBOs and reinforces the need to routinely screen them at all exposed anatomical sites.