title: Increased human herpesvirus 8 seroprevalence in young homosexual men who have multiple sex contacts with different partners.
abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the behavioral risks that are associated with human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection in a cohort of young homosexual men. Seventy-nine subjects (ages 22-33 years) who completed a questionnaire about their sexual and drug use behavior over the preceding year were recruited from the San Francisco Young Men's Health Study. Plasma samples were tested for anti-HHV-8 antibodies using an indirect IFA. Thirty-eight subjects (48.1%) were infected with HHV-8. HHV-8 infection was significantly linked to an increasing number of male sex partners (P=.025, Mantel-Haenszel chi2 test for trend), suggesting a strong association between HHV-8 infection and multiple homosexual contacts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Blackbourn
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Osmond
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: E T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Lennette
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000635:transmission; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012495:San Francisco / Q000453:epidemiology; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012747:Sexual Partners
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral