Behavioral screening effective for HSV-2 in young women.(GYNECOLOGY)

WASHINGTON -- Behavioral and demographic factors were more predictive of herpes simplex virus type 2 than were clinical symptoms in a study of 127 adolescents, approximately one-third of whom were infected with the disease.

Data from population-based studies have shown that herps simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) most often is acquired by women between the ages of 20 and 28 years, but many of them have no clinical symptoms, said Dr. Kenneth Fife of Indiana University, Indiuanapolis.

To determine the demographic and behavioral factors associated with HSV-2 infection in young women. Dr. Fife and his colleagues collected data for 4-6 years from 127 adolescents aged 14-18 years at baseline. The researchers presented their results in a poster at the jointly held annual meeting of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Of the study population, 92% were black and 7% were white; 33% were antibody positive for HSV-2 at baseline. Only three participants had a history of clinically diagnosed herpes when they entered the study, and the participants underwent quarterly screening for incident STDs. Each participant kepi a detailed behavioral diary for two 12-week periods each year and collected weekly vaginal swab samples during these 12-week periods. At the conclusion of the study, the average age of the ...