Seroprevalence and Factors Associated with Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Among HIV-negative High-risk Men Who Have Sex with Men from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil: a Cross-sectional Study
Overview
Authors
Affiliations
Background: Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is the leading cause of genital ulcer disease in developing countries, including Brazil, and is especially prevalent among men who have sex with men (MSM). HSV-2 infection represents a risk factor for the acquisition and transmission of other sexually transmitted diseases. The goal of the present cross-sectional study was to estimate HSV-2 seroprevalence and to determine the factors associated with HSV-2 seropositivity in HIV-negative high-risk MSM from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Methods: Stored sera were tested to estimate HSV-2 seroprevalence, while socio-demographic and sexual behavior data were used to measure associations between risk factors and HSV-2 seropositivity. Using the Poisson regression model with robust variance, prevalence ratios (PR) were used to estimate de degree of association between risk factors and HSV-2 seropositivity in bivariate and multivariate analyses.
Results: Seroprevalence of HSV-2 was of 45.7% (184 out of 403). Factors independently associated with HSV-2 seroprevalence in the multivariate model were: older age (>or= 26 years, PR: 1.41 95% Confidence Interval: 1.11-1.78), non-white race (PR: 1.32 95%CI: 1.06-1.64), positive serology for syphilis (PR: 1.65 95%CI: 1.33-2.05), positive serology for hepatitis B (PR: 1.25 95%CI: 0.99-1.57), stable male partner in the past 6 months (PR: 1.42 95%CI: 1.12-1.79), and unprotected anal sex with a stable female partner (PR: 1.46 95%CI: 1.05-2.04) in the 6 months preceding the cross-sectional assessment.
Conclusion: The present study made evident a high prevalence of HSV-2 infection in a sample of HIV-negative high-risk MSM from Rio de Janeiro. This finding indicates the need and urgency for implementing integrated programs for the prevention of HSV-2 and other sexually transmitted diseases, and, in particular, programs targeting high-risk MSM.
Syphilis and HIV/Syphilis Co-infection Among Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) in Ecuador.
Hernandez I, Johnson A, Reina-Ortiz M, Rosas C, Sharma V, Teran S Am J Mens Health. 2016; 11(4):823-833.
PMID: 27923971 PMC: 5675307. DOI: 10.1177/1557988316680928.
Li D, Yang X, Zhang Z, Wang Z, Qi X, Ruan Y PLoS One. 2016; 11(1):e0147422.
PMID: 26820145 PMC: 4731205. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147422.
Paula Silva A, Greco M, Fausto M, Greco D, Carneiro M PLoS One. 2014; 9(10):e109390.
PMID: 25279670 PMC: 4184869. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0109390.
Okafor N, Rosenberg E, Luisi N, Sanchez T, Del Rio C, Sullivan P Int J STD AIDS. 2014; 26(10):740-5.
PMID: 25246424 PMC: 4430438. DOI: 10.1177/0956462414552814.
Van Wagoner N, Brown E, Whitley R, Hook 3rd E Sex Transm Dis. 2012; 39(11):857-9.
PMID: 23064534 PMC: 3941199. DOI: 10.1097/OLQ.0b013e318264929c.