Seroepidemiological studies of HIV-1 infection in large Brazilian cities.

The prevalence of HIV-1 antibodies in selected groups of individuals from Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Santos was determined retrospectively. These groups and respective prevalences were: hemophiliac patients from Rio de Janeiro (1983-1984) 98.0%; polytransfused hemodialysis patients from São Paulo (1985-1986) 3.0% and (1987) 7.7%; intravenous drug addicts from São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (1986-1987) 15.9%; male prisoners from São Paulo (1988) 12.5%, and pregnant women from Santos (1988-1989) 3.6%. These data stress the magnitude of AIDS in Brazil.