title: Risk of human immunodeficiency virus infection in herpes simplex virus type 2-seropositive persons: a meta-analysis.
abstract: To determine the contribution of herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2) infection to the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition, a systematic review of literature and data synthesis were done. Thirty-one studies addressed the risk of HIV infection in HSV-2-seropositive persons. For 9 cohort and nested case-control studies that documented HSV-2 infection before HIV acquisition, the risk estimate was 2.1 (95% confidence interval, 1.4-3.2). Thus, the attributable risk percentage of HIV to HSV-2 was 52%, and the population attributable risk percentage was 19% in populations with 22% HSV-2 prevalence but increased to 47% in populations with 80% HSV-2 prevalence. For 22 case-control and cross-sectional studies, the risk estimate was 3.9 (95% confidence interval, 3.1-5.1), but the temporal sequence of the 2 infections cannot be documented. Control strategies for HSV-2 need to be incorporated into control of sexually transmitted infections as a strategy for HIV prevention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. annawald@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wald
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Link
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral