Kirpich Alexander, Nemira Alina, Adeniyi Ayotomiwa E, Shishkin Aleksandr, Bunas Anastasia S, Kolomiets Natalya D, Glinskaya Irina N, Gankin Yuriy, Gasich Elena L, Skums Pavel
Department of Population Health Sciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States.
Department of Computer Science, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States.
Front Epidemiol. 2025 Jul 21;5:1601976. doi: 10.3389/fepid.2025.1601976. eCollection 2025.
This paper presents the first systematic molecular epidemiology study of the HIV epidemic in Belarus, an Eastern European country that, like much of Eastern Europe and including the Post-Soviet region, has been largely understudied in relation to HIV epidemics. HIV sequences collected nationwide between January 2018 and May 2022 were analyzed using phylogenetic and phylodynamic methods. The findings reveal two distinct epidemic waves spanning 1997-2005 and 2009-2018, each driven by different dominant modes of transmission. The study also identifies potential introductions and intra-country transmission routes, emphasizing the pivotal role of the capital city and eastern industrial hubs within Belarus in shaping the epidemic's trajectory. This work addresses an important gap in understanding HIV dynamics in Eastern Europe.
本文介绍了对白俄罗斯艾滋病流行情况进行的首次系统性分子流行病学研究。白俄罗斯是一个东欧国家，与东欧大部分地区（包括后苏联地区）一样，在艾滋病流行方面在很大程度上未得到充分研究。使用系统发育和系统动力学方法分析了2018年1月至2022年5月期间在全国范围内收集的艾滋病毒序列。研究结果揭示了跨越1997 - 2005年和2009 - 2018年的两个不同的流行浪潮，每个浪潮由不同的主要传播模式驱动。该研究还确定了潜在的传入和国内传播途径，强调了白俄罗斯首都和东部工业中心在塑造疫情轨迹方面的关键作用。这项工作填补了理解东欧艾滋病动态方面的一个重要空白。
