PMID- 21844725
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20120201
LR  - 20181201
IS  - 1537-4521 (Electronic)
IS  - 0148-5717 (Linking)
VI  - 38
IP  - 8
DP  - 2011 Aug
TI  - Human immunodeficiency virus, sexually transmitted infections, and risk behaviors 
      among clients of sex workers in Guatemala: are they a bridge in human 
      immunodeficiency virus transmission?
PG  - 735-42
LID - 10.1097/OLQ.0b013e31821596b5 [doi]
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Clients of female sex workers (FSWs) are an important target group 
      for human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted infection (HIV/STI) 
      prevention. This study aimed to estimate their HIV and other STI prevalence, 
      examine their risk behaviors, and evaluate their role as a bridge population in 
      the spread of HIV/STIs. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed among 553 
      clients recruited in commercial sex sites in the province of Escuintla, 
      Guatemala. They were interviewed and tested for HIV and other STIs. RESULTS: Half 
      of the clients who were approached refused participation. Median age was 28.9 
      years; 57.7% had a regular partner, of whom, 10.1% had concurrent noncommercial 
      partnerships. Consistent condom use with FSWs and regular partners was 72.5% and 
      17.1%, respectively. Approximately 18% formed a bridge, and 40.0% a potential 
      bridge. Among those who provided samples (70.5% provided a blood sample and 
      89.7%, urine sample), prevalence of HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and 
      herpes simplex virus 2 was 1.5%, 1.0%, 0.8%, 5.5%, and 3.4%, respectively. 
      Unprotected sex with FSWs and drug use just before sex were risk factors for 
      having any STI (9.8% of participants). Bridge clients were significantly less 
      educated, more employed, paid lower prices to the FSW just visited, and had a 
      previous STI. CONCLUSIONS: There is a relatively high prevalence of HIV in 
      clients compared to national estimates, and a substantial proportion of them act 
      as a bridge for HIV/STI transmission between FSWs and the general population in 
      Escuintla. Given that this is fuelling the current HIV epidemic, preventive 
      interventions addressing this hard-to-reach group are urgently required.
FAU - Sabido, Meritxell
AU  - Sabido M
AD  - Department of Research and Epidemiology, Fundacio Sida i Societat, Barcelona, 
      Catalonia, Spain. msabido@sidaisocietat.org
FAU - Lahuerta, Maria
AU  - Lahuerta M
FAU - Montoliu, Alexandra
AU  - Montoliu A
FAU - Gonzalez, Victoria
AU  - Gonzalez V
FAU - Hernandez, Gabriela
AU  - Hernandez G
FAU - Giardina, Federica
AU  - Giardina F
FAU - Monzon, Jose Ernesto
AU  - Monzon JE
FAU - Pedroza, Maria Isabel
AU  - Pedroza MI
FAU - Casabona, Jordi
AU  - Casabona J
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - United States
TA  - Sex Transm Dis
JT  - Sexually transmitted diseases
JID - 7705941
SB  - IM
MH  - Adult
MH  - Condoms/statistics & numerical data
MH  - Cross-Sectional Studies
MH  - Guatemala/epidemiology
MH  - *HIV
MH  - HIV Infections/*epidemiology/prevention & control/*transmission
MH  - Humans
MH  - Male
MH  - Risk Factors
MH  - Sex Work/statistics & numerical data
MH  - *Sex Workers
MH  - Sexually Transmitted Diseases/*epidemiology/*prevention & control/*transmission
MH  - Substance-Related Disorders
MH  - Unsafe Sex/statistics & numerical data
MH  - Young Adult
EDAT- 2011/08/17 06:00
MHDA- 2012/02/02 06:00
CRDT- 2011/08/17 06:00
PHST- 2011/08/17 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2011/08/17 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2012/02/02 06:00 [medline]
AID - 00007435-201108000-00010 [pii]
AID - 10.1097/OLQ.0b013e31821596b5 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Sex Transm Dis. 2011 Aug;38(8):735-42. doi: 10.1097/OLQ.0b013e31821596b5.