11th International AIDS Conference Vancouver, British Columbia — July 7-12, 1996

Int Conf AIDS 1996 Jul 7-12; 11:33 (abstract no. LB.C.6053)
Levin LI, Renzullo PO, Garner R, Lasley-Bibbs V, McNeil J; Preventive Medicine, WRAIR, Rockville, MD. Fax: (301) 294-1898. E-mail: prenzull@hiv.hjf.org.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether female sex partners from high HIV-1 prevalence areas increase the risk of seroconversion among heterosexual men in the U.S. army.

METHODS: Cases were 70 men in the Army who seroconverted between July 1986 and December 1991 and who reported only having sex with women. Controls were active-duty soldiers matched to cases on age, race/ethnicity, length of military service, rank and current post. A structured interview elicited information on the geographic location of each sex partner, geographic location of respondents, sex behaviors, and other risks for HIV infection during the interval beginning 6 months prior to the last negative antibody test and extending until the first positive test date for the cases. Controls were questioned about risk behaviors occurring during the same interval as their matched cases. HIV prevalence rates for all counties in the U.S. were determined by the HIV-1 test results of individuals applying for entry into military service during the approximate time of the study period. The HIV prevalence rates for the county of residence for female partners were then divided into tertiles (low, medium and high).

RESULTS: After controlling for CDC-defined identified risk and casual sex behaviors, a significant elevated risk of infection was noted for men who ever had a partner who lived in a high prevalence area compared to men who never had a sex partner from a high risk area (odds ratio (OR)=3.4, 95% CI=1.2-9.6). In contrast, the HIV prevalence of the county where cases and controls resided was unrelated to the risk of seroconversion.

CONCLUSION: These data suggest that the prevalence of HIV-1 in the county of residence of the sex partner increases the risk of seroconversion among heterosexual men in the U.S. Army after adjustment for other known risk factors and may provide information important to the development of future prevention strategies.

960707
LBC6053

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