A model to estimate risk of infection with human herpesvirus 8 associated with transfusion from cross-sectional data.
In cross-sectional studies of infectious diseases, the data typically consist of: age at the time of study, status (presence or absence) of infection, and a chronology of events possibly associated with the disease. Motivated by a study of how human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is transmitted among children with sickle cell anemia in Uganda, we have developed a flexible parametric approach for combining current-status data with a history of blood transfusions. We model heterogeneity in transfusion-associated risk by a child-specific random effect. We present an extension of the model to accommodate the fact that there is no gold standard for HHV-8 infection and infection status was assessed by a serological assay. The parameters are estimated via maximum likelihood. Finally, we present results from applying various parameterizations of the model to the Ugandan study.
Pfeiffer
Ruth M
RM
Biostatistics Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7244, USA. pfeiffer@mail.nih.gov
Mbulaiteye
Sam
S
Engels
Eric
E
D000367:Age Factors; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000635:transmission*; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008954:Models, Biological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D012307:Risk Factors; D065227:Transfusion Reaction; D014454:Uganda