title: Sexually transmitted infections and sexual practices in injection drug users and their regular sex partners in Chennai, India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Measuring sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and sexual practices in injection drug users (IDUs) and their regular sex partners.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Informing HIV intervention programs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One percent IDUs and 2% of their regular female sex partners were syphilis infected; 40% (84/211) and 38% respectively (81/211) were infected with HSV-2. 30% IDUs and 5% of their female regular sex partners were HIV positive. Serodiscordant results for syphilis and HSV-2 were noticed. Women having first sex at age<or=17 years and those who had HIV-positive IDUs as their male sexual partner had two times the odds of having any non-HIV-STI (OR 2.04; 95% CI 1.1-3.8; P=0.02 and OR 2.38; 95% CI 1.1-5.1; P=0.02 respectively) in a multivariate model. Women>or=38 years had seven times the odds of having any non-HIV-STI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reaching out to IDUs and their female regular sex partners with modified STI management guideline and promoting women-controlled safer sex measures are needed harm-reduction measures.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Epidemiology, Indian Council of Medical Research, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Samiran
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Panda
authors.forename: M Suresh
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Saravanamurthy
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mahalingam
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vijaylakshmi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Balakrishnan
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kantesh
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Tamby
authors.forename: Syed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jabbar
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rangaiyan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Flessenkaemper
authors.forename: Heiner
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Grosskurth
authors.forename: Mohan D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Gupte
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012737:Sex Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous