CYTOMEGALOVIRUS-INFECTION IN WOMEN ATTENDING A SEXUALLY-TRANSMITTED DISEASE CLINIC

To evaluate prospectively the relationship between current and past sexual practices and seroprevalence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in adult women, 1481 women (1101white, 301 black, 79 other) attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic underwent a standardized interview and genital examination. CMV seroprevalence was higher in black (78%) than in white (59%) women. In logistic regression models that adjusted for age and years of education, CMV seropositivity in white women was associated with younger sexual debut (P =.001), more lifetime sex partners (P =.025), recent new partner(s) (p =.003), and parity (P =.002), and was inversely associated with use ofbarrier contraception (p =.006). In black women, after adjustment for demographic characteristics, CMV antibody was associated with greater numbers of recent sex partners (P =.007), new sex partners (p =.04), and with cervical infection with Chlamydia trachomatis (p =.05). This study confirms that sexual activity is an important determinant of CMV infection in both white and black women; however, the relative contributions of sexual and nonsexual transmission of CMV apparently vary and require further investigation. © 1990 by The University of Chicago.