CERVICAL CYTOMEGALOVIRUS-INFECTION IN PROSTITUTES AND IN WOMEN ATTENDING A SEXUALLY-TRANSMITTED DISEASE CLINIC

This study aimed to determine the frequency of, and to define factors associated with, cervical shedding of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in highly sexually active women (licensed prostitutes) and in women attending a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic. Cervical specimens obtained from 195 licensed prostitutes and 187 STD patients aged 17-50 years w ere compared for the presence of cervical CMV with specimens from 70 w omen of the same ages attending a gynecologic clinic. Cervical CMV was identified by the presence of a CMV-specific immediate-early gene seq uence amplified by the polymerase chain reaction. Cervical CMV prevale nces of 38.9% and 34.8% were found for licensed prostitutes and STD pa tients, respectively. These rates were significantly higher than the 2 4.3% cervical CMV prevalence for women attending the gynecologic clini c. The data suggest that frequent sexual contact with many sexual part ners is responsible for the high frequency of cervical CMV observed in licensed prostitutes. The interaction between CMV and urogenital bact erial infections is a plausible explanation for the high cervical CMV prevalence in STD patients. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.