Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Viral Infections among Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)–Infected and High‐Risk HIV‐Uninfected Women

Abstract

Viruses that can persist in the host are of special concern in immunocompromised populations. Among 871 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected and 439 high-risk HIV-uninfected women, seroprevalences of cytomegalovirus, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 and prevalence of human papillomavirus DNA in cervicovaginal lavage fluids were all >50% and were 2–30 times higher than prevalences in the general population. Prevalences were highest among HIV-infected women, of whom 44.2% had ⩾5 other infections, and were relatively high even among the youngest women (age 16–25 years). In multivariate analyses, viral infections were independently associated not only with behaviors such as injection drug use and commercial sex but also with low income, low levels of education, and black race. Disadvantaged women and women who engage in high-risk behaviors are more likely to be coinfected with HIV and other viruses and, thus, may be at high risk of serious disease sequelae