TY - JOUR T1 - Herpes simplex type 2 infection in a cohort aged 21 years. JF - Sexually Transmitted Infections JO - Sex Transm Infect SP - 216 LP - 218 DO - 10.1136/sti.74.3.216 VL - 74 IS - 3 AU - J Eberhart-Phillips AU - N P Dickson AU - C Paul AU - J P Fawcett AU - D Holland AU - J Taylor AU - A L Cunningham Y1 - 1998/06/01 UR - http://sti.bmj.com/content/74/3/216.abstract N2 - OBJECTIVES: To measure the prevalence of HSV-2 antibodies in a birth cohort of 21 year old New Zealanders from whom detailed sexual histories had been obtained, and to assess the potential for HSV-2 serology in characterising a young adult population's risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STD). METHODS: Sera from 784 cohort members were tested using an indirect IgG enzyme linked immunoassay specific to the HSV-2 glycoprotein G. Positive results were confirmed by western blot. RESULTS: In all, 27 subjects were seropositive for HSV-2 (3.4%), only seven of whom gave a history of genital herpes (26%). Risk among females increased with lifetime number of partners, while risk for males increased with having a first partner who was aged 16 years or under. CONCLUSIONS: The seroprevalence of HSV-2 infection in this cohort was low, but similar to that seen in several other populations in this age group. HSV-2 seropositivity did not appear to be a sensitive marker for high risk sexual activity in this young population. This may be because a critical mass of HSV-2 carriers has not accumulated among potential partners by age 21 years. ER -