Search

Context: Little is known about the factors associated with the choice of female-controlled, over-the-counter barrier contraceptive methods among women and their male sexual partners., Methods: Predictors of method choice were assessed following an educational presentation on contraceptive use and risk reduction among 510 sexually active females aged 15-30 who were recruited in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, the primary partners of 160 of these women participated in the survey, Results: Twenty-two percent of women who enrolled in the study alone, 25% of those who enrolled with their main partner and 18% of these male partners chose female-controlled, over-the-counter barrier methods alone. The strongest predictor of this choice was current use of a hormonal contraceptive both for women who participated in the study on their own (odds ratio, 2.1) and for those who enrolled their partner in the study (odds ratio, 6.3). Female-controlled methods were also chosen significantly more often by teenagers than by older women; for example, among those who enrolled with a male partner, the odds ratio for selection of a female-controlled barrier method by women younger than 18 was 6.0. Among women who enrolled without a partner, those who had had multiple partners in the previous six months and those who were current users of male condoms were less likely to choose female-controlled methods (odds ratios, 0.7 and 0.5, respectively)., Conclusions: Although the majority of participants did not choose female-controlled, over-the-counter barrier methods without also choosing male condoms, such female-controlled methods appear to offer an acceptable alternative for prevention of sexually transmitted infections. They may be a particularly attractive option for individuals using hormonal contraceptives and for teenage women.

Objectives: Lesions on the vaginal and cervical mucosa may facilitate transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). We evaluated the relationship between intravaginal practices and the presence of colposcopic lesions in Zimbabwean women., Methods: Users and nonusers of intravaginal practices were seen at enrollment, and at 1 and 6 months. Interviewing, counseling, and pelvic and colposcopic examinations were performed at each study visit. Specimens were collected at enrollment and 6 months., Results: Colposcopic lesions were found at least once in 83% of the participants (n = 162), and in 66% of all exams (n = 430). Most lesions were classified as related to infection with human Papillomavirus (HPV) (58%) or another pathogen (20%), but 11% of lesions could have been caused by intravaginal practices (signal lesions). Intravaginal practices were not associated with an increased incidence in signal lesions (95 and 124 lesions per 100 person-years of follow-up for users and nonusers respectively; p = .290), nor with the presence of signal lesions in multivariate baseline (odds ratio [OR], 1.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.37-4.72; p = .666) and six month transition models (OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 0.59-4.70; p = .333)., Conclusions: No associations between intravaginal practices and colposcopic lesions were found in this study. However, the potential effect of intravaginal practices on the cervical and vaginal mucosa, and on subsequent HIV and STD transmission, warrants further study. The usefulness of colposcopy as a research tool in areas with high prevalences of HIV and HPV is questioned.

One hundred sixty-nine Zimbabwean women were studied to determine whether the use of intravaginal practices (cleaning with the fingers, wiping the vagina, and inserting traditional substances) are associated with disturbances of vaginal flora and acquisition of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Subjects were interviewed and received counseling and a pelvic examination at enrollment, 1 month, and 6 months, and vaginal specimens were collected at enrollment and at 6 months. Users were more likely than nonusers to have vaginal flora disturbances but were not more likely to acquire an STD (relative risk [RR], 2.15; P=.188). Certain vaginal flora disturbances were associated with increased STD incidence and HIV prevalence. The absence of lactobacilli from the vaginal flora was associated with being positive for human immunodeficiency virus in baseline (odds ratio [OR], 0.24; P=.001) and 6-month transition multivariate models (OR, 0.39; P=.025). The presence of clue cells at baseline was associated with a higher incidence of STDs (RR, 1. 94; P=.025).

Data from three epidemiologic studies of heterosexual transmission of HIV among monogamous couples are used to assess evidence for time variation in HIV infectivity, possibly related to varying levels of infectiousness following infection in the primary infected partner. Analyses are based on statistical techniques that account for the inherent incompleteness of exposure information from such studies, and that allow direct assessment of the hypotheses that infectivity varies with time since infection and across partnerships. Data include findings from 302 couples from the California Partners' Study and 51 and 31 couples, respectively, from two U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-sponsored studies of infection in partners of transfusion recipients. Results indicate weak evidence for higher infectivity following infection of the primary partner, decreasing to relatively lower levels from 2 to 10 years after. Although these findings are consistent with biologic observations of time variation in viral levels, other explanations of the observed pattern (e.g., heterogeneity of infectivity) are equally plausible, pointing out some inherent limitations of data from such studies.

A qualitative study was conducted with 28 men and women in HIV-serodiscordant couples to explore the management of HIV in their relationship. Content analysis of the interviews revealed the role of serostatus and stigma in shaping partners' experience of HIV, sex and risk. Partners' differing serostatus often created feelings of alienation within the relationship. Compounding this interpersonal dynamic, the HIV service community was experienced as segregating because they were not funded or prepared to work with seronegative partners. Thus many, particularly seronegative women, felt invisible both within and outside of the relationship. Yet, the uninfected partners shared the burden of a stigmatizing illness because of the serodiscordant relationship. Stigma hindered communication about HIV and sex, disclosure to others and access to services. Many experienced HIV as a loss of their sexuality. Seronegative partners spoke about 'keeping sex alive' and often had to push to continue having sex. Couples used multiple strategies to manage HIV, including developing strict behavioural guidelines, connecting with other couples, accessing scientific information and becoming educators and activists. These altruistic activities, which also included participation in research, helped to transcend external and internalized stigma. Implications for developing interventions for HIV-serodiscordant couples are discussed.

Objective: We sought to determine potential risk factors for upper genital tract inflammation in women with cervical Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, or bacterial vaginosis., Study Design: In a case-controlled study we compared 111 women with cervical Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, or bacterial vaginosis (the study group) with 24 women who had negative tests for each of these infections (the control group). We evaluated potential risk factors for upper genital tract inflammation by use of bivariate and then logistic regression analysis., Results: We found plasma cell endometritis in 53 of 111 women in the study group and 3 of 24 controls (odds ratio = 6.4, 95% confidence interval 1.7 to 35.0). On logistic regression, the study group women who were in the proliferative phase had increased likelihood of plasma cell endometritis (odds ratio = 4.5, 95% confidence interval 1.6 to 12.4)., Conclusion: The proliferative phase of the menstrual cycle seems to be the primary risk factor for ascending infection by organisms associated with pelvic inflammatory disease. This may be due to a hormonal effect or to the loss of the cervical barrier during menstruation.

Study of the heterosexual transmission of HIV has shifted focus from the behavioral and demographic risk factors associated with HIV to the biological and molecular factors. Although factors such as genetic predisposition may be immutable, others such as co-infection with sexually transmitted diseases are modifiable by the use of treatment. The effect of antiretroviral treatment is also promising but deserves more study, as does the use of contraception and microbicides (chemical barriers meant for intravaginal use).

The probability of HIV transmission depends on the interplay of many different factors related to infectiousness of the HIV-infected partner, susceptibility of the HIV-uninfected partner, and biological characteristics of HIV strains. Here, we review recent studies of host immunological and genetic factors which may affect susceptibility to HIV-1 infection. These factors are summarized in Table 1. We propose how to explore biological correlates of susceptibility to HIV-1 infection in epidemiological studies, discuss the strengths and limitations of this research, and address the implications for public health.

To examine rates of and risk factors for heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the authors conducted a prospective study of infected individuals and their heterosexual partners who have been recruited since 1985. Participants were recruited from health care providers, research studies, and health departments throughout Northern California, and they were interviewed and examined at various study clinic sites. A total of 82 infected women and their male partners and 360 infected men and their female partners were enrolled. Over 90% of the couples were monogamous for the year prior to entry into the study; < 3% had a current sexually transmitted disease (STD). The median age of participants was 34 years, and the majority were white. Over 3,000 couple-months of data were available for the follow-up study. Overall, 68 (19%) of the 360 female partners of HIV-infected men (95% confidence interval (CI) 15.0-23.3%) and two (2.4%) of the 82 male partners of HIV-infected women (95% CI 0.3-8.5%) were infected. History of sexually transmitted diseases was most strongly associated with transmission. Male-to-female transmission was approximately eight-times more efficient than female-to-male transmission and male-to-female per contact infectivity was estimated to be 0.0009 (95% CI 0.0005-0.001). Over time, the authors observed increased condom use (p < 0.001) and no new infections. Infectivity for HIV through heterosexual transmission is low, and STDs may be the most important cofactor for transmission. Significant behavior change over time in serodiscordant couples was observed.

Laboratory testing for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been introduced for individual patient-based diagnosis as well as high-risk and low-risk population-based screening. The choice of test, confirmatory algorithm, and interpretative criteria used depend on the clinical setting. In the context of general population-based testing, factors affecting test performance will have to be considered carefully in the development of testing policy.

Epidemiologic studies of sexually transmitted disease (STD) transmission present a number of unique challenges in design and analysis. These arise both from the social nature of STD transmission and from inherent difficulties in collecting accurate and informative data on exposure and infection. Risk of acquiring an STD depends on both individual-level factors and the behavior and infectiousness of others. Consequently, study designs and analysis methods developed for studying chronic disease risk in individuals or groups may not apply directly. Simple models of STD transmission were used to investigate these issues, focusing on how the interplay between individual- and population-level factors influences design and interpretation of epidemiologic studies, with particular attention to interpretation of common measures of association and to common sources of bias in epidemiologic data. Existing methods for investigating risk factors can be modified such that these issues may be addressed directly.

Attributable risk combines information on the prevalence of an exposure with a measure of the associated increment in risk, providing an estimate of the proportion of incident or prevalent disease that might be avoided by eliminating the exposure. Thus, attributable risk identifies exposures most productively targeted by public health interventions. Attributable risk can be defined as the ratio of average excess risk to average risk. As with other measures of association between exposure and disease computed from observational data, adjustment must be made for confounding factors. Estimates of attributable risk are highly variable. Nonetheless, attributable risk retains its usefulness as an approximate measure of the public health significance of exposures associated with acquisition of sexually transmitted disease, provided it is estimated and interpreted cautiously.

Risk factors for postcoital bleeding were examined in 475 women who were enrolled in a study of heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In bivariate analyses, history of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs; P = .03), HIV infection (P = .008), and dyspareunia or pain during intercourse (P = .0001) were significant risk factors. In multivariate analysis, the two latter factors remained significant (for HIV, odds ratio [OR] = 2.1, P = .02, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1-4.0; for dyspareunia, OR = 3.5, P < .001, 95% CI = 1.8-6.6), as did the interaction term of STD history and heavy smoking (OR = 2.4, P = .02, 95% CI = 1.2-5.0). Pain during intercourse was the strongest predictor of postcoital bleeding but may be part of the same phenomenon. Similarly, because this study relied on cross-sectional data, the direction of the causal pathway linking HIV to postcoital bleeding cannot be established. However, these data suggest that smoking, a modifiable risk factor, may increase risk of postcoital bleeding and contribute to susceptibility for HIV and other STDs.

Background and Objectives: Reliability of responses between partners was used as a surrogate to examine the validity of self-reported sexual histories in two samples with different risk and demographic profiles and different intensities of contact with study staff., Study Design: Retrospective self-report data were compared between partners and between samples., Results: Despite differences between the two groups, reliability of the sexual history data was comparable., Conclusions: Further study is needed to examine other methodologies for collecting sensitive data. Intensive contact and rapport building may not be necessary.

An effective program to prevent HIV infection must have both universal and targeted components. The universal component includes reducing HIV-related discrimination, removing commercial restrictions on the materials necessary for safer behavior, and providing information about the risk of HIV. The targeted component involves focusing the limited resources for intensive programs of behavioral change on situations in which the risk of HIV transmission is highest. Such a strategy would follow the dictum "Warn widely and spend wisely."

Most pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is caused by the ascent of sexually transmitted disease pathogens from the endocervix. In fact, PID remains the most common serious complication of infection from sexually transmitted bacterial pathogens. PID also may be caused by normal vaginal micro-organisms (such as those associated with bacterial vaginosis) that have overgrown in the vagina. PID has been linked to the occurrence of long-term sequelae, most commonly and most importantly infertility and ectopic pregnancy. In many patients PID may remain undiagnosed and asymptomatic, and may not become evident until such long-term consequences become manifest. We briefly review the epidemiology of PID including case definitions, the prevalence of the problem, and causal pathways and associated risk factors. Risk factors for both PID and its sequelae are discussed in relation to the mechanism of ascent of associated etiologic agents from the lower to the upper genital tract.

In the absence of an effective vaccine, behavior change remains the most effective means to prevent the spread of HIV. We examined behavior change over time and rates of HIV seroconversion in a cohort of HIV individuals and their heterosexual partners recruited since 1985. Participants were recruited from various HIV counseling and testing sources throughout California and were usually interviewed and tested in their own homes. Couple counseling and risk assessments were conducted at average intervals of six months. Data from 144 couples who were discordant for HIV serostatus are reported. Of the index cases, 78% were men. Most male index cases were bisexuals, and most female index cases were infected through heterosexual intercourse with a previous sexual partner. The mean duration of the relationship for the couple at intake was 5.6 years. Both condom use and sexual abstinence increased over time (p < 0.001 for both), and most behavior change occurred between intake and first follow-up visit. We observed no seroconversion after 193 couple-years of follow-up. Couple counseling in combination with social support appears to be an effective means to promote and sustain behavior change among HIV-infected individuals and their heterosexual partners.

Objectives: To determine the risk of heterosexual transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and to identify other risk factors for HCV seropositivity in heterosexual couples., Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study comparing HCV-seropositive and HCV-seronegative heterosexual men and women., Setting: Couples recruited from the community and screened for participation in a study of the heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus., Participants: A total of 340 subjects, 170 men and 170 women in sexual partnerships, aged 18 through 61 years., Main Outcome Measure: Seropositivity for HCV antibodies., Results: Overall, 31 (18%) of the 170 women and 56 (33%) of the 170 men were positive by a four-antigen HCV immunoblot. Injection drug use and hemophilia were strongly associated with HCV seropositivity. Sixty-four percent of injection drug users were positive (odds ratio [OR], 27.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 13.4 to 56.1; P < .0001), as were all four hemophiliacs in the study. History of blood transfusion was significantly associated with HCV seropositivity (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.1 to 7.0; P = .02). Positivity for HCV was not associated with measures of sexual behavior within couples or with numbers of other sexual partners, history of sexually transmitted diseases, or human immunodeficiency virus seropositivity. However, two of the 31 women without parenteral risk but with a long-term HCV-positive male partner were HCV seropositive compared with none of 81 women with an HCV-negative male partner (P = .07)., Conclusions: These results provide little evidence of HCV sexual transmission but are consistent with infrequent sexual transmission. They corroborate the importance of injection drug use and transfusion of blood or blood products in transmitting HCV and underscore the importance of ascertaining parenteral exposures when examining sexual transmission of HCV.

Objective: --To examine rates of heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and associated risk factors and to determine the relative efficiency of female-to-male and male-to-female transmission., Design: --Survey of infected individuals and their heterosexual partners recruited since 1985., Setting: --Participants were recruited from various HIV counseling and testing sites throughout California but were generally interviewed and tested in their homes., Participants: --Data from 379 couples at entry to the study are reported: 72 male partners of infected women and 307 female partners of infected men. The infected index case had a well-established source of risk; couples were eliminated if the direction of transmission could not be established. The majority of couples were monogamous since 1978, white, and in their 30s. Most partners did not know their serostatus at entry into the study., Main Outcome Measure: --HIV serostatus in the exposed sexual partner., Results: --We observed one probable instance (1%) of female-to-male transmission compared with 20% transmission rates in the female partners of infected men. All couples were sampled in the same way. Male index cases were more likely to be symptomatic than female index cases., Conclusion: --The odds of male-to-female transmission were significantly greater than female-to-male transmission. The one case of female-to-male transmission was unique in that the couple reported numerous unprotected sexual contacts and noted several instances of vaginal and penile bleeding during intercourse.

Ninety-eight heterosexual couples enrolled in a HIV transmission study, at least one of whom was HIV-infected, were interviewed about sexual behavior. Although males and females were interviewed separately, there was agreement between them on the number of sexual contacts, the practice or anal intercourse, and condom use. These findings of strong reliability are encouraging, but do not necessarily imply that the data are valid.

Several studies of the heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus have reported no association between transmission and number of exposures. In contrast, this study showed that for a susceptible sex partner, the number of exposures to an infected index case is indeed associated with transmission, but in a nonlinear fashion. Factors that can dilute an association between transmission and number of exposures include measurement error in calculating number of exposures, use of inappropriate statistical models, and failure to account for variations in transmission rates. For example, the practice of anal intercourse and the experience of bleeding during intercourse increase the likelihood of transmission. We also observed that transmission occurred with fewer exposures among couples who did not use condoms compared with couples who did. The number of exposures also affects the independent association between other risk factors and transmission and thus should be considered when analyzing other sources of risk.

The incidence of infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been monitored since 1984 in an area probability sample of homosexual/bisexual men drawn from a six-kilometer square area of San Francisco where the epidemic of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has been most severe. Annualized HIV seroconversion rates in previously uninfected cohort members have declined by 88 per cent from 5.9 per cent during the first six months of 1985 to 0.7 per cent during the last six months of 1987. Concurrent declines of approximately 80 per cent in the prevalence of sexual behaviors associated with HIV transmission were also observed in the sample.

Recent studies have indicated variation in the infectivity beta of HIV among heterosexual couples. We represent this heterogeneity by modelling beta as a random variable. Using data on the number of contacts and seroconversion of couples, we fit the model by maximum-likelihood estimation with a beta distribution and a discrete distribution for beta. The estimates indicate the heterogeneity is extreme. The limitations of the model and the implications of the results for epidemiologic spread and further research are discussed.

The heterosexual transmission of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has been documented in the United States by national surveillance data and heterosexual partner studies since the beginning of the epidemic. However, the efficiency of heterosexual transmission and related risk factors remain unclear. Viral transmission from males to their female sexual partners is well documented, although in the United States instances of female-to-male transmission have been observed less frequently. On the other hand, in parts of Africa and Haiti, AIDS appears to be a bidirectional, heterosexually transmitted disease that often occurs concurrently with other sexually transmitted diseases. Although a widespread heterosexual epidemic of AIDS could evolve in the United States, it seems more plausible that, like other sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS will settle in limited segments of the community characterized by certain high-risk behaviors.

The prevalence and incidence of infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been under study in a cohort of 1,034 single men recruited by area probability sampling from a six kilometer square area of San Francisco where the epidemic of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has been most severe. Prevalence of infection among homosexual/bisexual study subjects increased from an estimated 22.8 per cent during the last half of 1982 to 48.6 per cent during the period July through December 1984. During three subsequent six-month periods, prevalence remained stable at approximately 50 per cent. Annual infection rates, measured by seroconversion among seronegative study subjects, decreased from an estimated 18.4 per cent per year from 1982 to 1984, to 5.4 and 3.1 per cent during the first and second halves of 1985, and to 4.2 per cent during the first six months of 1986. These declines were associated with reductions of 60 per cent or more in the prevalence of high-risk sexual practices associated with both acquiring and disseminating infection by the human immunodeficiency virus.

We propose establishing private and public outpatient facilities where persons with human immunodeficiency virus, type 1 (HIV-1), infection can receive state-of-the-art clinical and behavioral follow-up, treatment, and assistance. The possible advantages of enrolling HIV-1-positive persons into long-term follow-up are early treatment of clinical conditions and resulting gains in life quality and life expectancy, decreased transmission of HIV-1 to uninfected persons, more efficient use of scarce patient-care resources, and improved estimates of the total number of HIV-infected persons. The possible disadvantages of such a program are adverse psychological reactions to knowledge of HIV-1 infection, adverse societal actions against infected persons, and, finally, the economic cost of the program. These facilities, with the proper expertise and safeguards of confidentiality and trust, could prolong and improve the lives of infected persons while preventing infection of others.

The AIDS-associated retrovirus (ARV) was isolated from vaginal and/or cervical secretions from 4 out of 8 women whose sera contained antibodies to the virus. The quantity of virus recovered initially was so low that identification of ARV was accomplished only after passage of the isolates to cultured mitogen-stimulated normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The results indicate that the vaginal canal under certain conditions could be a source of transmission of ARV.