Molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 among adult female sex workers at the Guatemala-Mexico border

Figures & data

Table 1. Demographics of Adult FSW at the Guatemala/Mexico Border (n = 6).

General Demographic Cohort of FSW
Age	Mean (Min-Max)	30 (25-36)
Country of Origin	Guatemala	66.7%
	Honduras	16.7%
	Mexico	16.7%
Do you have children?	Yes	100.0%
Do you have valid migration Papers?	No (Undoc)	33.3%
	Yes (Doc)	0.0%
	Not a migrant	66.7%
Number of times crossing Guatemala/Mexico Border*	Mean (Min-Max)	5 (1-10)
Homeless (past 6 mo)	Yes	50.0%
Currently Owes Money (has debt)	Yes	33.3%
Education	No formal Education	16.7%
	Primaria Incompleta	50.0%
	Primaria Completa	0.0%
	Básico Incompleto	16.7%
	Básico completo (middle school)	0.0%
	Diversificado Incompleto	16.7%
	Diversificado Completo	0.0%
	Technical/Trade	0.0%
	University/College	0.0%
Ever Diagnosed with Depression	Yes	33.3%
Questions regarding Substance Abuse
Age first used Drugs	Mean (Min-Max)	16 (12-20)
Have you ever injected an illicit drug?	Yes	16.7%
Why did you start using drugs?	Peer Pressure	66.7%
	Stress or to deal with problems	16.7%
	To deal with work/work better	16.7%
	I was curious	16.7%
	I was drunk	16.7%
	Put it in my food/drink without me knowing	16.7%
What drug did you use first?	Cocaine (powd.)	16.7%
	Crack	16.7%
	Inhalants	16.7%
	Marijuana	50.0%
Have you ever used Heroin?	Yes	16.7%
Have you ever used Crack?	Yes	66.7%
Have you ever used Cocaine?	Yes	66.7%
Have you ever used inhalants?	Yes	66.7%
Have you ever used Amphetamines?	Yes	16.7%
Have you ever used tranquilisers?	Yes	16.7%
Have you ever used Crystal Meth?	Yes	33.3%
Which drug did you use most often?**	Cocaine	33.3%
	Crack	50.0%
	Inhalants	16.7%
Questions related to Condom Use and Sex Work Participation
Where do you get condoms	Partner	50.0%
	Other	16.7%
Available access to condoms?	Yes	100.0%
First Sexual Encounter (FSE) was …	Consensual	50.0%
	Transactional	0.0%
	Forced	50.0%
Was a condom used during FSE?	Yes	0.0%
Why first engage in Sex work	Best way to Earn Money	83.3.0%
	Someone threatened me	16.7.0%
Why continue Sex Work	Make the Most Money	66.7%
	To support self/family members	33.3%
Number of days engaged in Sex work**	Mean (Min-Max)	33.7 (1 −180)
Number of male clients**	Mean (Min-Max)	31 (2-150)
Believes there is no need to use a condom with a regular client	Yes	33.3%
HIV Status and Testing
Have you ever been tested for HIV?	Yes	83.3%
Aware of HIV-positive status at time of study?	Yes	50.0%
Interactions with the Police and Physical Violence
Have you ever been arrested?	Yes	50.0%
How fearful are you of Police abuse?	Somewhat	16.7%
	Very	50.0%
Has a police officer beaten you?**	Yes	16.7%
Has a police officer asked for money?**	Yes	16.7%
Have you even been beaten or physically abused?	Yes	66.7%

(*In the past year, **Within the past 6 months).

Figure 1. Phylogenetic Analysis of Female Sex Workers. Phylogenetic characterisation of the included FSW (n = 6). All sequences were identified as HIV type 1 and aligned. The phylogenetic tree includes HIV type 1 reference sequence B.FR.83.HXB2.

Figure 2. Phylogenetic analysis of Female Sex Workers (GT) cohort compared to sequences collected from men who have sex with men (GH) and migrants (GM) in the Tecún Umán region. Sequences highlighted with a green box indicate Female Sex Workers included in the study (n = 6) which were compared to samples from other high-risk populations within the same area of Tecún Umán. The prefix ‘GH’ indicates men who have sex with men (MSM) while ‘GM’ indicates individuals who are migrants. One additional FSW was included, GT064, however this individual is not part of the study cohort. The phylogenetic tree includes HIV type 1 reference sequence B.FR.83.HXB2. FSW were most closely related to sequences from MSM rather than other female sex workers.