Low incidence and prevalence of hepatitis C in two cohorts of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis adherence interventions in men who have sex with men in Southern California

Abstract

HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been associated with incident hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in men who have sex with men (MSM) due to decreased condom use. We examined rates of HCV among MSM and transgender women at high-risk of HIV on PrEP in Southern California using data from two trials (NCT01761643 and NCT01781806). Five of 599 participants (0.84%, 95% CI, 0.27–1.93) had HCV antibodies detected at entry. Factors associated with HCV seropositivity included being older (p =.002) and lower education level (p