HIV and HTLV-I infection among homosexual men in Kingston, Jamaica - abstract

ABSTRACT

From August 1985 through January 1986, 123 homosexual or bisexual men from the Kingston area were enrolled in a study to determine the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the human T-lymphotrophic virus type I (HLTV-I) and the levels of risk factors for these infections. Eighteen men (15 percent) were sero-positive for HIV and 11 (9 percent) were sero-positive for HTLV-I. Only one man was positive for both viruses. The median age was 27 years (range 17 to 70). Overall, the level of promiscuity was lower than that reported in studies of homosexual men in the U.S.A. and in Europe. However, almost a third of the men reported having had homosexual encounters with foreign visitors or whilst travelling outside Jamaica. The presence of lymphadenopathy (p<0.05) was higher in HIV sero-positive patients, as was the percentage who reported having sex with men from the U.S.A. (p=0.16). Men who were sero-positive for HTLV-I tended to be more promiscuous than their sero-negative counterparts; the proportion with a history of gonorrhoea and the mean number of homosexual acts per week were both increased (p<0.05). A history of receptive anal intercourse and the mean number of homosexual partners per month were increased in positive subjects but the difference did not reach statistical significance. These results suggest that HTLV-I is an endemic, sexually transmitted infection. In contrast, HIV appears to have entered this population through homosexual contact with foreigners; the lack of association between HIV infection and promiscuity may be due to the small number of positives and the sporadic nature of transmission early in an epidemic (AU)