Volume 63, Issue 10 pp. 1872-1884
BLOOD DONORS AND BLOOD COLLECTION

HIV risk behavior profiles among men who have sex with men interested in donating blood: Findings from the Assessing Donor Variability and New Concepts in Eligibility study

Brian Custer

Corresponding Author

Brian Custer

Vitalant Research Institute, San Francisco, California, USA

Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA

Correspondence

Brian Custer, Vitalant Research Institute, 360 Spear St, Suite 200, San Francisco, CA, 94105, USA.

Email: [email protected]

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Barbee I. Whitaker

Barbee I. Whitaker

U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA

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Lance M. Pollack

Lance M. Pollack

Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA

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Renata Buccheri

Renata Buccheri

Vitalant Research Institute, San Francisco, California, USA

Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA

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Roberta L. Bruhn

Roberta L. Bruhn

Vitalant Research Institute, San Francisco, California, USA

Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA

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Lauren A. Crowder

Lauren A. Crowder

American Red Cross, Scientific Affairs, Rockville, Maryland, USA

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Susan L. Stramer

Susan L. Stramer

American Red Cross, Scientific Affairs, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA

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Rita A. Reik

Rita A. Reik

OneBlood, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

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Suchitra Pandey

Suchitra Pandey

Stanford Blood Center & Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA

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Mars Stone

Mars Stone

Vitalant Research Institute, San Francisco, California, USA

Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA

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Clara Di Germanio

Clara Di Germanio

Vitalant Research Institute, San Francisco, California, USA

Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA

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Kate Buchacz

Kate Buchacz

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HIV Research Branch, Division of HIV Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

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Anne F. Eder

Anne F. Eder

U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA

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Yun Lu

Yun Lu

U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA

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Richard A. Forshee

Richard A. Forshee

U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA

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Steven A. Anderson

Steven A. Anderson

U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA

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Peter W. Marks

Peter W. Marks

U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA

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First published: 29 August 2023
Citations: 7

The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Abstract

Background

Individual risk assessment allows donors to be evaluated based on their own behaviors. Study objectives were to assess human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk behaviors in men who have sex with men (MSM) and estimate the proportion of the study population who would not be deferred for higher risk HIV sexual behaviors.

Study Design and Methods

Cross-sectional survey and biomarker assessment were conducted in eight U.S. cities. Participants were sexually active MSM interested in blood donation aged 18–39 years, assigned male sex at birth. Participants completed surveys during two study visits to define eligibility, and self-reported sexual and HIV prevention behaviors. Blood was drawn at study visit 1 and tested for HIV and the presence of tenofovir, one of the drugs in oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Associations were assessed between HIV infection status or HIV PrEP use and behaviors, including sex partners, new partners, and anal sex.

Results

A total of 1566 MSM completed the visit 1 questionnaire and blood draw and 1197 completed the visit 2 questionnaire. Among 1562 persons without HIV, 789 (50.4%) were not taking PrEP. Of those not taking PrEP, 66.2% reported one sexual partner or no anal sex and 69% reported no new sexual partners or no anal sex with a new partner in the past 3 months.

Conclusion

The study found that questions were able to identify sexually active, HIV-negative MSM who report lower risk sexual behaviors. About a quarter of enrolled study participants would be potentially eligible blood donors using individual risk assessment questions.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

The authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest.

The full text of this article hosted at iucr.org is unavailable due to technical difficulties.