Abstract
Background:Sexually active heterosexual men may represent an important risk factor for HIV infection and STI transmission to their female partners and unborn children, though little is known about the prevalence of STIs in this population. We sought to determine the prevalence of HIV, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), and syphilis infection and associated risk behaviors among male sex partners of pregnant women in Peru.Methods:Survey and seroprevalence data were collected from 1,835 male partners of pregnant women in four cities in Peru. Serum was tested for antibodies to HIV, HSV-2, and syphilis.Results:Among the 1,835 male participants, HIV prevalence was 0.8% (95% CI = 0.5–1.4%), HSV-2 16.0% (95% CI = 14.3–17.8%), and syphilis 1.6% (95% CI = 1.0–2.2%). Additionally, 11.0% reported a lifetime history of intercourse with men, and 37.1% with female sex workers. Unprotected intercourse with men during the previous year was reported by 0.9% and with female sex workers by 1.2%.Conclusion:Pregnant women's sex partners reported lifetime sexual contact with core risk groups, had an elevated prevalence of HSV-2, and demonstrated the potential to spread HIV and other STIs to their partners. Though the prevalence of HIV in the population was not significantly higher than observed in other samples of heterosexuals in Peru, the risk of HIV transmission to their female partners may be exacerbated by their increased prevalence of HSV-2 infection. Further study of heterosexual populations is necessary to fully understand the epidemiology of HIV/STIs in Latin America.
Highlights
Active heterosexual men may represent an important risk factor for HIV infection and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) transmission to their female partners and unborn children, though little is known about the prevalence of STIs in this population
Among HIV-infected pregnant women, 26.7% of their HIV-positive male partners had engaged in sexual contact with other men and 46.7% had engaged in unprotected sex with a female sex worker
We studied the prevalence of HIV infection and STIs among male partners of pregnant women in Peru to determine the prevalence of infections among heterosexually active males, and to assess their potential role in HIV/STI transmission to pregnant women and neonates in Peru
Summary
Active heterosexual men may represent an important risk factor for HIV infection and STI transmission to their female partners and unborn children, though little is known about the prevalence of STIs in this population. We sought to determine the prevalence of HIV, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), and syphilis infection and associated risk behaviors among male sex partners of pregnant women in Peru. There is a need to further understand the epidemiology of HIV infection and STIs in Peru's general population in order to assess the potential for the spread of HIV/STIs within heterosexual networks. Research has suggested that men in Peru generally have greater numbers of sex partners, and greater risk of potential STI exposures, than women [7,8]. As in most other HIV surveillance studies in Peru, HIV prevalence in the study population was less than 1%, suggesting that the primary impact of male partners' risk behavior was on individual risk for infection without significantly impacting the population-level spread of disease
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