Poppers, by Inducing HHV-8 Virion Production, Can Act as a Promoter for HHV-8 Transmission in Men Who Have Sex With Men

Aude Jary; Adélie Gothland; Romain Palich; Valentin Leducq; Gentiane Monsel; Sébastien Imbert; Luminita Schneider; Anne Simon; Jean-Philippe Spano; Christine Katlama; Islam Amine Larabi; Jean-Claude Alvarez; Vincent Calvez; Anne-Geneviève Marcelin

doi:10.1093/ofid/ofab166

Poppers, by Inducing HHV-8 Virion Production, Can Act as a Promoter for HHV-8 Transmission in Men Who Have Sex With Men

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2021 Mar 31;8(7):ofab166. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofab166. eCollection 2021 Jul.

Affiliations

¹ Sorbonne Université, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital, Department of Virology, Paris, France.
² Sorbonne Université, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital, Department of Infectious Diseases, Paris, France.
³ Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital, Department of Parasitology-Mycology, Paris, France.
⁴ Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, Paris, France.
⁵ Sorbonne Université, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital, Department of Oncology, Paris, France.
⁶ Paris-Saclay University, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U-1173, Department of Pharmacology Toxicology, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Raymond Poincaré Hospital, Garches, France.

Abstract

Environmental factors were reported to increase the risk of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) transmission. In a population of men who have sex with men (MSM), we found evidence that chemsex was associated with human herpesvirus 8 seropositivity in vivo and that poppers induced HHV-8 virion production in vitro. Our finding may explain the higher HHV-8 transmission in MSM.

Keywords: HHV-8; HHV-8 production; HIV PrEP; MSM; chemsex; poppers.