AJTMH Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
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Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 72(1), 2005, pp. 33-36
Copyright © 2005 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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INFECTION WITH HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS, HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS TYPE 2, AND HUMAN HERPES VIRUS 8 IN REMOTE VILLAGES OF SOUTHWESTERN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

B. SULIGOI, R. T. DANAYA, L. SARMATI, I. L. OWEN, S. BOROS, E. POZIO, M. ANDREONI, AND G. REZZA
Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy; Port Moresby General Hospital, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea; Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy; National Veterinary Laboratory, National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

To investigate the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted viruses, two serosurveys (the first in 1999 among 56 adults and the second in 2001 among 351 adults) were conducted in remote villages of the southwestern part of Papua New Guinea. Only one individual was positive for antibodies to HIV. In 2001, the seroprevalence of human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8) was 32.2%, and the seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) was 27.4%. Both prevalence rates increased with age, and were lower in the villages near the Bensbach River. The seropositivity of HSV-2 was independently correlated with HHV-8 infection. Our data show that the inhabitants of the southwestern region of Papua New Guinea currently experience an extremely low circulation of HIV. However, the high prevalence of infectious agents that can be sexually transmitted, such as HSV-2 and to a lesser extent HHV-8, indicates the presence of behavioral patterns that may facilitate the spread of HIV in this area of currently low endemicity.

Received March 8, 2004. Accepted for publication April 29, 2004.

Authors’ addresses: B. Suligoi, S. Boros, E. Pozio, and G. Rezza, Reparto AIDS e MST, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy. R. T. Danaya, Port Moresby General Hospital, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. L. Sarmati and M. Andreoni, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy. I. L. Owen, National Veterinary Laboratory, National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

Reprint requests: B. Suligoi, Reparto AIDS e MST, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy, Telephone: 39-6-4938-7209, Fax: 39-6-4938-7210, E-mail: suligoi{at}iss.it.






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