title: Herpes simplex virus seroprevalence and risk factors in 2 Canadian sexually transmitted disease clinics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objectives of this study were to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors for herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2 in patients attending 2 Canadian sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Stored sera were tested for the presence of IgG class antibodies to HSV-1 and HSV-2 and results linked to that obtained from a risk behavior questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall prevalences for HSV-1 and -2 were 56% and 19%, respectively. HSV-1 and -2 seropositivity was associated with increasing age, female gender, nonwhite ethnicity, and a history of STD. HSV-2 seropositivity was also associated with a history of genital herpes, presence of genital sores, and coinfection with either human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or hepatitis C (HCV).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Herpes simplex infection is common in this high-risk Canadian population. Our finding that HCV seropositivity was a significant predictor for HSV-2 seropositivity emphasizes the overlap between pathogens that are primarily thought to be bloodborne pathogens and sexually transmitted infections and the need to target prevention in these areas concurrently.
authors.affiliation: University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada. ameeta.singh@gov.ab.ca
authors.forename: Ameeta E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Romanowski
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Sita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gourishankar
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Myziuk
authors.forename: Jayne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fenton
authors.forename: Jutta K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Preiksaitis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000416:Alberta / Q000453:epidemiology; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections; D006526:Hepatitis C; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000821:virology; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral