title: Association between acquisition of herpes simplex virus type 2 in women and bacterial vaginosis.
abstract: A longitudinal cohort study of sexually active women 18-30 years of age was conducted to identify variables associated with the acquisition of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infections. Six hundred seventy HSV-2-seronegative women were followed up at 4-month intervals for 1 year; acquisition of HSV-2 antibodies was detected in 32 of these women. Black race, < or =12 years of education, having a new sex partner, and bacterial vaginosis (BV) were associated with HSV-2 seroconversion on univariate analysis. Antecedent HSV-1 infection was not protective against HSV-2 acquisition. After controlling for other identified risk factors in multivariable models, the diagnosis of BV remained associated with an increased risk of acquiring HSV-2 infection (hazard ratio, 2.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.0-4.5; P=.05). In this study, the population attributable risk of BV for HSV-2 seroconversion was 21%. Additional studies are needed to determine whether screening and treatment of BV could reduce susceptibility to the acquisition of HSV-2 in women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. rsitc@mail.magee.edu
authors.forename: Thomas L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Cherpes
authors.forename: Leslie A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Meyn
authors.forename: Marijane A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Krohn
authors.forename: Joel G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Lurie
authors.forename: Sharon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hillier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D016585:Vaginosis, Bacterial / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology