Seroprevalence and risk factors for HTLV-I/II infection among female prostitutes in the United States

Article Abstract:

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I, HTLV-I, is associated with a form of white blood cell cancer, adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma. This cancer occurs in endemic proportions in Japan, and is found in tropical areas with a form of spastic paralysis called tropical spastic paraparesis. Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type II, HTLV-II, is a similar virus, but has not yet been proven to be the causative agent of any disease. Although HTLV-II was associated with hairy-cell leukemia in two patients, 21 additional hairy-cell leukemia patients failed to test positively for this virus. HTLV infections had been considered rare in the United States; recent studies have confirmed a high incidence of this infection in intravenous drug abusers. The present study examines the rate of HTLV infection in a group of 1,305 female prostitutes drawn from a sampling across the US. The level of HTLV infection in these woman varied from 0 incidence in Southern Nevada to a 25.4 percent rate of occurrence in prostitutes in Newark, NJ. The risk of infection was found to be statistically related to being black, hispanic, or native American. The level of infection in the women who used illicit intravenous drugs also varied with years of sexual activity, and with recruitment in Newark. The age of participants ranged from 18 to 59 years of age with an average age of 27 years. The number of paying lifetime sexual partners ranged from 5 to 93,740. Of the 1,305 women tested, 88 had positive blood tests for either HTLV I or II (6.7 percent); an additional 2.7 percent of the women had results which were deemed inconclusive and their status is unknown. These results indicate that the rate of HTLV infection in female prostitutes within the US is high. However, the degree to which this infection will spread to males is unknown; data suggest that the transmission rate from female to male is low and the effects of other factors, such as the use of condoms, are unknown.

Women, Demographic aspects, Diseases, Disease transmission, HTLV-I infections, HTLV infections, HTLV-I (Virus)

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Sexual practices in the transmission of hepatitis B virus and prevalence of hepatitis delta virus infection in female prostitutes in the United States

Article Abstract:

Prostitutes who use intravenous drugs (IV), participate in anal intercourse or don't use a diaphragm during sex are at high risk of contracting hepatitis B. Of 1,368 female prostitutes living in eight regions of the US, 56% tested positive for current or past infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Only six percent of women in the general population test positive for HBV. The incidence of HBV infection was higher in prostitutes who used IV drugs, and the incidence of infection with the hepatitis delta virus (HDV) was higher in IV drug users. In these women, having sex with a large number of men or with men who were at high risk for HBV infections was also a risk factor for HBV infection. Women who had syphilis or HIV infection were also at high risk of being infected with HBV. Use of a diaphragm with a spermicide greatly reduced the women's risk of infection. Prostitutes with these risk factors should be vaccinated against hepatitis B.

Sexual behavior, Hepatitis B

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Seroprevalence of HTLV-I and HTLV-II among intravenous drug users and persons in clinics for sexually transmitted diseases

Article Abstract:

Intravenous (IV) drug users and individuals with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) may have an increased risk of becoming infected with HTLV, a group of viruses related to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Analysis of blood samples from 3,217 intravenous drug users in eight cities found that the percentage of individuals with antibodies to HTLV varied from 0.4% in Atlanta to 17.6% in Los Angeles. Analysis of blood samples from 5,264 patients being treated at STD clinics in the same cities found a much lower percentage had been exposed to the viruses. The range was 0.1% in Newark, NJ and Atlanta to 2% in Los Angeles. However, when the analysis was restricted to STD patients who had used IV drugs, 7.6% had antibodies to HTLV, whereas only 0.7% of those who did not use IV drugs had been exposed to the viruses. Eighty-four percent of IV drug users and 69% of STD patients with antibodies to the viruses were infected with HTLV-II.

Sexually transmitted diseases, HTLV-II infections

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