Prevalence of lower genital tract infections among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive and high-risk HIV-seronegative women

This study was undertaken to assess whether the prevalence of lower genital tract infections among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive wom en was higher than among high-risk HIV-seronegative women at their baseline visit for the HIV Epidemiology Research Study. Results were available for 851 HIV-seropositive and 434 HIV-seronegative women. Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection was more prevalent among HIV-seropositive women (64% vs, 28 %), Bacterial vaginosis was common (35% vs. 33%), followed by trichomoniasi s (12% vs. 10%), syphilis (8% vs. 6%), Chlamydia trachomatis infection (4% vs. 5%), candidal vaginitis (3% vs. 2%), and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infectio n (0.8% vs. 0.3%). Alcohol use (odds ratio [OR], 1.8; 95% confidence interv al [CI], 1.3-2.4) and smoking (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.3-2.5) were associated wi th bacterial vaginosis. Bacterial vaginosis (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.5-3.4), tri chomoniasis (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.1-4.7), and syphilis (OR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.3- 7.4) were found to be more prevalent among black women. Our study showed no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of lower genital tr act infections except for HPV between HIV-infected and demographically and behaviorally similar HIV-uninfected high-risk women.