E. Gotuzzo et al., HUMAN T-CELL LYMPHOTROPIC VIRUS TYPE-1 INFECTION AMONG FEMALE SEX WORKERS IN PERU, The Journal of infectious diseases, 169(4), 1994, pp. 754-759
Four hundred female sex workers attending a sexually transmitted disea
se clinic in Lima, Peru, were interviewed for demographic information
and medical, contraceptive, and sexual practice histories. Cervical cu
ltures were done for Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis,
and serum was tested for antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus, h
uman T cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I), Treponema pallidum, C.
trachomatis, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), and Haemophilus duc
reyi. The prevalence of HTLV-I increased with duration of prostitution
from 3.6% (<3 years) to 9.3% (3-6 years) to 15.9% (>6 years; P < .01)
. After adjustment for duration of prostitution, reduced risk of HTLV-
I was significantly correlated with condom use for more than half of a
ll sexual exposures for >3 years (odds ratio [OR], 0.34; 95% confidenc
e interval [CI], 0.13-0.89). Further adjusting for condom use, HTLV-I
seropositivity was associated with C. trachomatis (OR, 3.7; 95% CI, 1.
4-13.2) and with antibody to HSV-2 (OR, 3.7; 95% CI, 0.5-29.6). Thus,
duration of prostitution, Lack of consistent condom use, and past infe
ction with C. trachomatis were significantly associated with HTLV-I se
ropositivity.