Document 0922
 DOCN  M94A0922
 TI    The increase in HIV-1 prevalence in commercial sex workers (CSWs) in The
       Gambia, and association with other STDS including cervical
       abnormalities.
 DT    9412
 AU    Hawkes S; St Mary's Hospital Medical School, London, UK.
 SO    Int Conf AIDS. 1994 Aug 7-12;10(2):25 (abstract no. 393C). Unique
       Identifier : AIDSLINE ICA10/94371653
 AB    METHOD: From Dec. 1992 to Feb 1993 self-identified female CSWs were
       recruited at several sites in The Gambia. Each woman who agreed to
       participate was offered HIV testing and STD screening including cervical
       cytology. RESULTS: 213 women were recruited with a mean age of 29.9
       years. Overall, 8% were infected with HIV-1, 21.1% with HIV-2 and 5.6%
       were dually infected. These results were obtained from blood, saliva and
       blood spot eluate testing, and all results were consistent. There was a
       high prevalence of both ulcerative and non-ulcerative STDs, except
       Chlamydia trachomatis with which only 3.8% were infected 3.9% of women
       had CIN1 on cytology, 3.4% CIN2 and 2.4% CIN3 (4 of the 5 women with
       CIN3 had evidence of invasive carcinoma). DISCUSSION: The prevalence of
       HIV-1 infection in CSWs in The Gambia has shown a four-fold increase
       between 1989 and 1992, whilst the prevalence of HIV-2 has remained
       relatively stable over this period. Given the previously demonstrated
       greater pathogenicity of HIV-1 in The Gambia, this increase in
       prevalence in a core-group of women represents a serious threat. The
       consistency of HIV results on testing blood, saliva and blood spots is
       significant for a population which has a high prevalence of both HIV-1
       and HIV-2 infections. The high prevalence of abnormalities on cervical
       cytology in a young group of women emphasises the importance of
       incorporating methods to diagnose and treat this condition in STD
       control programmes in sub-Saharan Africa. The lack of an association
       between cervical abnormalities and HIV serostatus highlights the need
       for further studies in this region on the link between the 2 diseases.
 DE    Cervix Diseases/*EPIDEMIOLOGY  Cervix Neoplasms/EPIDEMIOLOGY
       Comorbidity  Female  Gambia/EPIDEMIOLOGY  Human  HIV
       Infections/*EPIDEMIOLOGY  HIV Seroprevalence/TRENDS  *HIV-1  HIV-2
       Occupational Diseases/*EPIDEMIOLOGY  Prostitution/*STATISTICS & NUMER
       DATA  Sexually Transmitted Diseases/*EPIDEMIOLOGY
       Ulcer/EPIDEMIOLOGY/MICROBIOLOGY  Vaginal Smears  MEETING ABSTRACT

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).