Ke. Nelson et al., THE ASSOCIATION OF HERPES-SIMPLEX VIRUS TYPE-2 (HSV-2), HAEMOPHILUS-DUCREYI, AND SYPHILIS WITH HIV-INFECTION IN YOUNG MEN IN NORTHERN THAILAND, Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes and human retrovirology, 16(4), 1997, pp. 293-300
To evaluate the association between sexually transmitted diseases that
commonly may cause genital ulceration and prevalent and incident HIV
infections, we conducted three case control studies in a cohort of 21-
year-old male military conscripts in northern Thailand. The men were e
valuated at baseline in 1991 and semiannually until their discharge 2
years later. Serologic evidence of infection with herpes simplex virus
type 2 (HSV-2), Haemophilus ducreyi, and HN were more frequent at bas
eline in 83 men with a history of genital ulcer than in 97 men without
such a history. Seropositivity to H. ducreyi (odds ratio [OR] = 3.46)
, HSV-2 (OR = 3.83), and syphilis (OR = 1.53) were more common in HIV-
positive than HIV-negative men. Men (N = 45) who seroconverted to HIV
while in the military were more often seropositive for H, ducreyi and
HSV-2 before HIV seroconversion and also were more likely to seroconve
rt to HSV-2 and H. ducreyi during the same interval as their HIV seroc
onversion compared with men who remained HN-negative. These data sugge
st that HSV-2 and H. ducreyi may be both markers for high-risk sexual
behavior and risk factors for HIV infection among young men in Thailan
d.