Abstract
Background: Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is sexually transmitted and causes one of the genital ulcerative diseases associated with the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1). Objective: To determine the prevalence of serological reactivity to a type specific HSV-2 antigen (gG2) ELISA assay. Setting: Rakai district, Uganda. Subjects: Two hundred and one serum samples of persons aged 15-54 years. The sampels were randomly selected by a computer programme. Results: Out of the 201 serum samples selected, 117 (58.2%) had serological evidence of HSV-2 infection. Twenty nine (32.2%) out of the 74 males and 88 (69.3%) out of the 127 females, respectively, had serological evidence of HSV-2 infection giving a female:male ratio of 1.8 (95% C1 1.3-2.4). The most important risk factor for acquisition of HSV-2 in males was found to be age while in the females, the most important risk factors were age and the number of sexual partners in the previous five years. Conclusion: HSV-2 was highly prevalent in this rural population of Uganda.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 428-430 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | East African medical journal |
| Volume | 77 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| State | Published - 2000 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine(all)