title: A network intervention that locates and intervenes with recently HIV-infected persons: The Transmission Reduction Intervention Project (TRIP).
abstract: Early treatment, soon after infection, reduces HIV transmissions and benefits patients. The Transmission Reduction Intervention Project (TRIP) evaluated a network intervention to detect individuals recently infected (in the past 6 months). TRIP was conducted in Greece (2013-2015) and focused on drug injector networks. Based on HIV status, testing history, and the results of an assay to detect recent infections, TRIP classified drug injector "Seeds" into groups: Recent Seeds (RS), and Control Seeds with Long-term HIV infection (LCS). The network members of RS and LCS were traced for two steps. The analysis included 23 RS, 171 network members of the RS, 19 LCS, and 65 network members of the LCS. The per-seed number of recents detected in the network of RS was 5 times the number in the network of LCS (Ratio RS vs. LCS: 5.23; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.54-27.61). The proportion of recents among HIV positives in the network of RS (27%) was approximately 3 times (Ratio RS vs. LCS: 3.30; 95% CI: 1.04-10.43) that in the network of LCS (8%). Strategic network tracing that starts with recently infected persons could support public health efforts to find and treat people early in their HIV infection.
authors.affiliation: Transmission Reduction Intervention Project-Athens site, Athens, Greece.|Medical School, University of Cyprus, Cyprus.|National Development and Research Institutes, New York City, United States.
authors.forename: Georgios K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Nikolopoulos
authors.affiliation: Transmission Reduction Intervention Project-Athens site, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Eirini
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pavlitina
authors.affiliation: Quintus-ential Solutions, Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States.
authors.forename: Stephen Q
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Muth
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and the Chicago Center for HIV Elimination, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Laikon General Hospital, First Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Mina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Psichogiou
authors.affiliation: National Development and Research Institutes, New York City, United States.
authors.forename: Leslie D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Paraskevis
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Vana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sypsa
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.|Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Gkikas
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Magiorkinis
authors.affiliation: Alliance for Public Health, Kyiv, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Pavlo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Smyrnov
authors.affiliation: Alliance for Public Health, Kyiv, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Anya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Korobchuk
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Tetyana I
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Vasylyeva
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and the Chicago Center for HIV Elimination, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States.
authors.forename: Britt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Skaathun
authors.affiliation: Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Melpomeni
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malliori
authors.affiliation: Organization against Drugs (OKANA), Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Evangelos
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kafetzopoulos
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Angelos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hatzakis
authors.affiliation: National Development and Research Institutes, New York City, United States.
authors.forename: Samuel R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Friedman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011634:Public Health / Q000379:methods; D012944:Social Support