title: Seroprevalence and correlates of herpes simplex virus type 2 infection among young adults in Arkhangelsk, Northwest Russia: a population-based cross-sectional study.
abstract: Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection is the most common cause of genital ulcer disease (GUD) worldwide. Mother to child transmission causes high morbidity and mortality among infants. Russia is on the brink of a generalized HIV-epidemic, but Arkhangelsk is still a low-prevalence area. HSV-2 infection is associated with a three-fold increased risk of HIV-infection. The evidence on the seroprevalence of HSV-2 in Russia is limited. The aim of this study was to assess HSV-2 seroprevalence and correlates among young adults in the city of Arkhangelsk.
  
  
  
  1243 adults aged 18-39 years participated in a cross-sectional population-based study, recruited by a public opinion agency applying a quota sampling method to achieve a data set with similar age- and sex-distribution as the population in Arkhangelsk. All participants completed a standardized, self-administrated questionnaire and were tested for HSV-2. Associations between HSV-2 seropositivity and selected sociodemographic and behavioral factors, and self-reported history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were studied by multivariable logistic regression.
  
  
  
  HSV-2 seroprevalence was 18.8 %: 12.2 % (95 % confidence interval, CI 9.7-15.2) among men and 24.0 % (95 % CI 20.1-27.3) among women. Among men, HSV-2 positivity was associated with being divorced/widowed (OR = 2.85, 95 % CI 1.06-7.70), cohabitation (OR = 2.45, 95 % CI 1.07-5.62), and a history of STIs (OR = 2.11, 95 % CI 1.14-3.91). In women, HSV-2 positivity was associated with high income (OR = 3.11, 95 % CI 1.45-6.71) and having a lifetime number of sexual partners between 2 and 5 (OR = 2.72, 95 % CI 1.14-6.51), whereas sexual debut at age 18 years or older was inversely associated with the outcome (OR = 0.47, 95 % CI 0.31-0.72). In both sexes, increasing age was the strongest correlate of HSV-2 seropositivity in multivariable analyses.
  
  
  
  The HSV-2 seroprevalence was twice as high in women than in men and increased with age in both sexes, and similar to that reported from high-prevalence countries in Europe and the USA. The high prevalence of HSV-2 among women in childbearing age reveals the potential for HSV-2 transmission from mothers to infants and increased risk of acquisition HIV-infection; it also contributes to the burden GUD among both sexes. This emphasizes the public health implications of the HSV-2 epidemic in an urban population in North-West Russia.
authors: Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, PO Box 6050 Langnes, N-9037, Tromso, Norway. arkhangelsk.tatiana@rambler.ru.|Northern State Medical University, Troitski Av. 51, Arkhangelsk, 163000, Russia. arkhangelsk.tatiana@rambler.ru.|Center of Hygiene and Epidemiology in the Arkhangelsk Region, Troitski Av. 164-1, Arkhangelsk, 163000, Russia. arkhangelsk.tatiana@rambler.ru.
authors: Tatiana
authors: T
authors: Balaeva
authors: Northern State Medical University, Troitski Av. 51, Arkhangelsk, 163000, Russia.|North-Eastern Federal University, 58 Belinsky Str, Yakutsk, 677000, Yakutsk, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russia.|Department of International Public Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, PO Box 4404 Nydalen, N-0403, Oslo, Norway.|Department of Preventive Medicine, International Kazakh-Turkish University, Turkestan, Kazakhstan.
authors: Andrej M
authors: AM
authors: Grjibovski
authors: Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, PO Box 6050 Langnes, N-9037, Tromso, Norway.
authors: Oleg
authors: O
authors: Sidorenkov
authors: Northern State Medical University, Troitski Av. 51, Arkhangelsk, 163000, Russia.
authors: Olga
authors: O
authors: Samodova
authors: Arkhangelsk Regional Dermatovenerologic Dispensary, Sibiryakovtsev Street 2-1, Arkhangelsk, 163045, Russia.
authors: Natalia
authors: N
authors: Firsova
authors: Northern State Medical University, Troitski Av. 51, Arkhangelsk, 163000, Russia.
authors: Anatoly
authors: A
authors: Sannikov
authors: Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, PO Box 6050 Langnes, N-9037, Tromso, Norway. elise.klouman@uit.no.
authors: Elise
authors: 0000-0001-5970-5521
authors: E
authors: Klouman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D012426:Russia / Q000453:epidemiology; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Correlates of HSV-2; Eastern Europe; HSV-2; Herpes simplex virus type 2; Northwest Russia; Population-based; Self-reported STIs; Seroprevalence