A study of HIV/STD infections amongst commercial sex workers in Kolkata. (India) Part-IV laboratory investigation of STD and HIV infections.

Out of 867 sex workers examined during 1998-2000 from the five important red light areas of Kolkata, 26.18%(227) were suffering from active syphilitic infection having positive VDRL test with titre 1/8 and above. Vaginal smear for gram staining was collected from all sex workers, and found positive for active gonorrhoeal infection in 41.8% (362). Culture positivity for gonorrheal infection was 34.14% (296). Sex workers were also having other STD infection, 23.64% (205) Trichomonas infection, 13.26% (115) Candidiasis, 8.77% (76), Gardenella and 3.0% (26) Chanchroid for which vaginal samples were found positive. HIV sero-positivity was found to be 13.2% (115) out of 867 blood samples examined from all sex workers under study. There were 0.34% (3) sex workers who were also positive for HIV II infection along with HIV-I infection. A case of HIV II alone was not detected in any of the sex workers. Around 49.6% (430) knew that STD/HIV can be prevented by use of condom. However, condom was used by only 6.57% (57) sex workers.

Cancro mole / Chancroid

Aborda o cancro mole, sob os aspectos da epidemiologia, etiologia, manifestaçöes clínicas, diagnóstico laboratorial e diferencial, tratamento e associaçäo com HIV.

Sexually transmitted diseases in children.

Fifty eight (16%) of the 362 patients, who reported to Dermatology and STD Department with symptoms pertaining to their genitourinary system were below 14 years of age. Fifty four (93.1%) of these children belonged to families of lower socio-economic strata. All the children were slum dwellers and none of them had studied beyond the third class. Syphilis was seen in 27.6%, gonorrhea in 24.1%, chancroid in 22.4%, candidiasis in 10.3%, condylomata acuminata in 6.9% and herpes genitalis in 6.9% of these children. The probable reasons for the increased prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases in children as ascertained by this study were sexual promiscuity and probably sexual assault.

Aspectos do cancro mole no Município de Säo Paulo / Aspects of chancroid in Säo Paulo City

Entre 1985 e 1989 foram registrados no Serviço de Dermatologia Sanitária da Faculdade de Saúde Pública da USP 202 pacientes portadores de cancro mole. Mapeou-se os focos geográficos da doença distribuídos pelos 11 Distritos, 48 Subdistritos e 8 ERSA de Säo Paulo. Os subdistritos do Butantä e Santo Amaro concentraram 55 casos e o ERSA-1, 74. A idade concentrou-se entre 20 e 30 anos, com aumento em menores de 20 anos. Os homens participaram numa proporçäo de 7:1 mulher. Houve reduçäo da participaçäo da prostituiçäo no contágio. O período de incubaçäo variou de 1 a 41 dias. A lesäo foi única em 33,7 por cento dos casos masculinos. O tempo da doença reduziu-se e o enfartamento inguinal ocorreu em 49 por cento dos casos. Referiram passado venéreo 123 pacientes e soropositividade para sífilis. Em 1989-1991 foram pesquisados 42 casos de cancro mole para anticorpos anti-VIH-1, resultando 16,6 por cento de sororeatividade. O risco da mulher portadora de um cancro mole apresentar-se infectada parece ser maior do que para o homem. Recomenda-se a implantaçäo imediata da notificaçäo compulsória de todas as Doenças Sexualmente Transmissíveis, bem como a pesquisa rotineira para sífilis e para o VIH-1 nas populaçöes de risco identificadas