Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Dec;11(4):434-46.
doi: 10.1007/s11904-014-0225-9.

Advances in HIV prevention for serodiscordant couples

Affiliations
Review

Advances in HIV prevention for serodiscordant couples

Kathryn E Muessig et al. Curr HIV/AIDS Rep. 2014 Dec.

Abstract

Serodiscordant couples play an important role in maintaining the global HIV epidemic. This review summarizes biobehavioral and biomedical HIV prevention options for serodiscordant couples focusing on advances in 2013 and 2014, including World Health Organization guidelines and best evidence for couples counseling, couple-based interventions, and the use of antiviral agents for prevention. In the past few years, marked advances have been made in HIV prevention for serodiscordant couples and numerous ongoing studies are continuously expanding HIV prevention tools, especially in the area of pre-exposure prophylaxis. Uptake and adherence to antiviral therapy remains a key challenge. Additional research is needed to develop evidence-based interventions for couples, and especially for male-male couples. Randomized trials have demonstrated the prevention benefits of antiretroviral-based approaches among serodiscordant couples; however, residual transmission observed in recognized serodiscordant couples represents an important and resolvable challenge in HIV prevention.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
WHO Guidelines for couples

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Jiwatram-Negron T, El-Bassel N. Systematic Review of Couple-Based HIV Intervention and Prevention Studies: Advantages, Gaps, and Future Directions. AIDS Behav. 2014 Jul 2; 2014, epub ahead of print. ** This systematic review identified 27 biobehavioral interventions for serodiscordant couples. Thirteen studies focused on psycho-educational skills building, 13 studies focused on CHTC for heterosexual couples and one study focused on medication adherence for heterosexual and MSM couples.

    1. Burgener A, Sainsbury J, Plummer FA, Ball TB. Systems biology-based approaches to understand HIV-exposed uninfected women. Curr HIV/AIDS Rep. 2010;7:53–59. - PubMed
    1. Persson A. Notes on the concepts of ‘serodiscordance’ and ‘risk’ in couples with mixed HIV status. Glob Public Health. 2013;8:209–220. - PubMed
    1. Bunnell RE, Nassozi J, Marum E, Mubangizi J, Malamba S, Dillon B, et al. Living with discordance: knowledge, challenges, and prevention strategies of HIV-discordant couples in Uganda. AIDS Care. 2005;17:999–1012. - PubMed
    1. Chemaitelly H, Cremin I, Shelton J, Hallett TB, Abu-Raddad LJ. Distinct HIV discordancy patterns by epidemic size in stable sexual partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa. Sex Transm Infect. 2012;88:51–57. * Estimates HIV infection in stable partnerships in 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Percent of serodiscordant partnerships: in concentrated epidemics, 0 to 6%; in generalized epidemics, 9 to 17%. Proportion of HIV-positive persons with negative partners: in high HIV prevalence areas, about half, in low prevalence settings, as high as 75%.

Substances