{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,5]],"date-time":"2025-11-05T07:23:26Z","timestamp":1762327406838,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,5]],"date-time":"2025-11-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1762300800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic disproportionately affects key populations, including transgender women (TGW). Understanding the epidemiological and molecular characteristics on HIV-1 infection among TGW in Brazil, a continental country, is important to support decisions about public health policies. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the HIV prevalence and associated risk factors, recency of infection, genetic diversity of HIV-1, transmission clusters, and drug resistance mutations among TGW in Goi\u00e1s, a state in the Central-West region of Brazil.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A total of 440 participants from three cities in Goi\u00e1s (Goi\u00e2nia, Itumbiara, and Jata\u00ed) were recruited using Respondent-Driven Sampling. Serum samples were screened for anti-HIV antibodies using rapid tests and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Recent acquisitions were identified from plasma samples using the Limiting Antigen Avidity assay. Deoxyribonucleic acid was extracted from blood samples, and the partial polymerase gene (protease\/reverse transcriptase region) was amplified using a nested polymerase chain reaction. Sequences were subtyped, analyzed for potential transmission networks, and assessed for drug resistance using the Stanford HIVdb program.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Most participants were young, single, self-identified as Black or mixed-race, and had a secondary education level or less. Many reported early sexual debut and multiple high-risk behaviors for sexually transmitted infections. The overall prevalence was 27.3%, with 43.2% classified as recent acquisitions and 56.8% as long-standing. Being over 25\u202fyears of age and engaging in chemsex were significantly associated with infection (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.05). Regarding genetic diversity, subtype B was the most prevalent, followed by F1 and C. Ten transmission clusters were identified; each composed of at least two sequences. High prevalence of drug resistance mutations (39.1%) was observed among TGW.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>These findings underscore the high burden of HIV-1 among TGW in the Central-West region of Brazil and highlight the importance of serological and molecular surveillance in guiding targeted interventions aimed at preventing HIV acquisition and formulating well-informed public health policies for this key population.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1679535","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,5]],"date-time":"2025-11-05T06:26:04Z","timestamp":1762323964000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Epidemiological dynamics and molecular characteristics of HIV-1 among transgender women in the Central-West region of Brazil"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Bruno Vin\u00edcius","family":"Diniz e Silva","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sylvia Lopes Maia","family":"Teixeira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Paulie Marcelly Ribeiro dos","family":"Santos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Larissa Silva","family":"Magalh\u00e3es","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jos\u00e9 Henrique","family":"Pilotto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ingebourg","family":"Georg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Carlos Silva de","family":"Jesus","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rayana Katylin Mendes Da","family":"Silva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Karlla Antonieta Amorim","family":"Caetano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Robert Lewis","family":"Cook","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Regina Maria Bringel","family":"Martins","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sheila Araujo","family":"Teles","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Monick Lindenmeyer","family":"Guimar\u00e3es","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Megmar Aparecida dos Santos","family":"Carneiro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","article-title":"HIV and AIDS [internet]","year":"2025"},{"key":"ref2","article-title":"Global HIV & AIDS statistics \u2014 fact sheet [internet]","year":"2024"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e25860","DOI":"10.1002\/jia2.25860","article-title":"\"you are not a man\": a multi-method study of trans stigma and risk of HIV and sexually transmitted infections among trans men in Uganda","volume":"24","author":"Mujugira","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Int AIDS Soc"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2240","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-021-81411-4","article-title":"Proportion of people identified as transgender and non-binary gender in Brazil","volume":"11","author":"Spizzirri","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"key":"ref5","volume-title":"Country factsheets \u2013Brazil","year":"2023"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"S16","DOI":"10.1097\/MD.0000000000009447","article-title":"Divas research, G. 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