Rothenberg R B, Potterat J J, Woodhouse D E, Muth S Q, Darrow W W, Klovdahl A S
Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30303-3219, USA.
AIDS. 1998 Aug 20;12(12):1529-36. doi: 10.1097/00002030-199812000-00016.
To prospectively study changes in the social networks of persons at presumably high risk for HIV in a community with low prevalence and little endogenous transmission.
From a cohort of 595 persons at high risk (prostitutes, injecting drug users, and sexual partners of these persons) and nearly 6000 identified contacts, we examined the social networks of a subset of 96 persons who were interviewed once per year for 3 years. We assessed their network configuration, network stability, and changes in risk configuration and risk behavior using epidemiologic and social network analysis, and visualization techniques.
Some significant decrease in personal risk-taking was documented during the course of the study, particularly with regard to needle-sharing. The size and number of connected components (groups that are completely connected) declined. Microstructures (small subgroups of persons that interact intensely) were either not present, or declined appreciably during the period of observation.
In this area of low prevalence, the lack of endogenous transmission of HIV may be related in part to the lack of a network structure that fosters active propagation, despite the continued presence of risky behaviors. Although the relative contribution of network structure and personal behavior cannot be ascertained from these data, the study suggests an important role for network configuration in the transmission dynamics of HIV.
前瞻性研究在一个艾滋病病毒低流行且几乎没有内源性传播的社区中，假定为艾滋病病毒高风险人群的社交网络变化。
从一组595名高风险人群（妓女、注射吸毒者以及这些人的性伴侣）和近6000名已识别的接触者中，我们对96名每年接受一次访谈、持续3年的子群体的社交网络进行了研究。我们使用流行病学和社交网络分析以及可视化技术，评估了他们的网络结构、网络稳定性以及风险结构和风险行为的变化。
在研究过程中记录到个人冒险行为有一些显著下降，尤其是在共用针头方面。连通分量（完全连通的群体）的规模和数量有所减少。微观结构（紧密互动的小人群亚组）在观察期间要么不存在，要么明显减少。
在这个低流行地区，尽管存在危险行为，但艾滋病病毒缺乏内源性传播可能部分与缺乏促进活跃传播的网络结构有关。虽然无法从这些数据中确定网络结构和个人行为的相对贡献，但该研究表明网络结构在艾滋病病毒传播动态中具有重要作用。
