Prevalence of hepatitis B antigen and antibody in prostitutes.
We investigated the prevalence of hepatitis B antigen (HBAg) and antibody (HBAb) in 293 prostitutes and in 379 pregnant women of similar age and of low socioeconomic level, who served as controls. HBAg was found in 4.4% of prostitutes and 3.4% of controls. The prevalence of HBAb was significantly higher (P <0.001) in prostitutes (56.7%) than in controls (24.5%). The prevalence of HBAb was clearly age-dependent in both groups. Evidence of hepatitis B virus infection significantly increased with the number of years in prostitution. The evidence of increased infection rates among prostitutes and their distribution support the hypothesis that hepatitis B infection is sexually transmitted.
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006386:Hemagglutination Tests; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D005779:Immunodiffusion; D007122:Immunoelectrophoresis; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011477:Sex Work; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens