12th International AIDS Conference Geneva, Switzerland - June 28-July 3, 1998

Int Conf AIDS 1998 Jun 28-Jul 3; 12:605 (abstract no. 32416)

Larkin H, Cosby C, Petti L, Paolinetti L, Harada N
Highland General Hospital, CA, USA.

BACKGROUND: Sexual assault may expose survivors to a variety of viral sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Current sexual assault protocols make no definitive provisions for the screening, prevention and prophylaxis for many of these STDs.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the seroprevalence of viral STDs, including HIV, Cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex-I (HSV-1), herpes simplex-2 (HSV-2), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HVC) in female survivors and male suspects of sexual assault in a county emergency department, as a way to evaluate transmission risks.

METHODS: A prospective pilot study with serologic antibody testing during a 12 month period on 40 survivors and 20 suspects of sexual assault evaluated and treated with existing sexual assault protocols by a multidisciplinary sexual assault team.

RESULTS: By chi-square testing suspect seroprevalence was:HIV 10% (n = 2/20), CMV 70% (n = 14/20), HSV-1 60% (n = 12/20), HSV-2 35% (n = 7/20), Hepatitis B surface antigen 0% (n = 0/20), and HCV 15.8% (n = 3/19). Survivor seroprepalence was: HIV 0% (n = 0/40), CMV 85.3% (n = 29/34), HSV-1 62.5% (n = 25/40), HSV-2 75% (n = 30/40), HBV 30% (n = 12/40) and HCV 11.8% (n = 2/17). The seroprevalence of suspects and survivors was similar with the exception of HSV-2 and HIV.

CONCLUSION: Antibody to HIV was significantly more prevalent in suspects than survivors of sexual assault (p = < 0.04) and antibody to HSV-2 was significantly more prevalent in survivors than suspects (p = < 0.003). Definitive guidelines are needed to address the screening, prevention, and treatment of viral STDs following sexual assault.

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