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Background. Herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2) are common infections with serious sequelae. HSV-1 is an increasingly important cause of genital herpes in industrialized countries. Methods. Using nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we examined HSV-1 and HSV-2 seroprevalence among 14- to 49-year-olds in the United States. We estimated seroprevalence in 1999-2004 and 2005-2010, stratified by sociodemographic characteristics and sexual behaviors. We also reviewed HSV-1 and HSV-2 seroprevalence from 1976-1980 to 2005-2010. Results. In 2005-2010, the seroprevalence of HSV-1 was 53.9%, and the seroprevalence of HSV-2 was 15.7%. From 1999-2004 to 2005-2010, HSV-1 seroprevalence declined by nearly 7% (P < .01), but HSV-2 seroprevalence did not change significantly. The largest decline in HSV-1 seroprevalence from 1999-2004 to 2005-2010 was observed among adolescents aged 14-19 years, among whom seroprevalence declined by nearly 23%, from 39.0% to 30.1% (P < .01). In this age group, HSV-1 seroprevalence declined >29% from 1976-1980 to 2005-2010 (P < .01). Conclusions. An increasing number of adolescents lack HSV-1 antibodies at sexual debut. In the absence of declines in HSV-2 infections, the prevalence of genital herpes may increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precise estimates of the incidence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are required to assess the impact of immunization and other prevention strategies in the United States. Race- and age-specific prevalence data obtained from the second and third National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES II, 1976–1980, and NHANES III, 1988–1994) were used to estimate the annual incidence of HBV infection by catalytic modeling. During the period covered by NHANES II, an estimated 323,462 persons were infected annually, and 334,863 were infected annually during the period covered by NHANES III. No statistically significant declines in prevalence of HBV infection occurred between the two surveys, a period during which hepatitis B vaccination targeted only limited numbers of high-risk adults. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To provide more accurate estimates of Helicobacter pylori infection in the US population, IgG antibody levels were measured in serum from 2581 persons aged 6–19 years examined during phase 1 of the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Overall, 24.8% of participants had evidence of H. pylori infection. Infection was strongly associated with increasing age (X 2trend, P < .01) and being nonwhite (17.0% of non-Hispanic whites vs. 40.1% of non-Hispanic blacks and 42.0% of Mexican Americans infected). In a multivariate logistic regression model, H. pylori infection was significantly associated with increasing age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.07/year), being nonwhite (non-Hispanic black OR = 2.6 or Mexican American OR = 1.8), poverty (OR = 1.5), crowding (OR = 5.6), and- head of household education level (OR = 1.8). In Mexican Americans, infection was associated with birth outside the United States or Canada in the univariate analyses but was not significantly associated after adjustment for age, poverty, crowding, and head of household education level. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]