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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Development of a Hepatitis B Virus Reporter System to Monitor the Early Stages of the Replication Cycle
Published on: February 1, 2017
Hepatitis B infection in a non-drug abusing prostitute population in Mexico
K C Hyams1, J Escamilla, R Lozada Romero
1U.S. Naval Medical Research Institute, Bethesda, MD.
Abstract:
The prevalence and risk factors of hepatitis B infection were studied in 354 non-drug abusing female prostitutes and 360 female controls in Tijuana, Mexico. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was found in the same percentage (0.8%) of prostitutes and controls. In contrast, antibody markers (anti-HBs or anti-HBc) were found in a significantly higher percentage of prostitutes than controls (8.2% vs. 2.2%, p = 0.0006). Prostitutes also had a higher prevalence of a positive RPR/FTA-ABS test for syphilis (p less than 0.0001). There was a significant association between the presence of hepatitis B markers and positive syphilis serology and a history of having had a STD. In this non-drug abusing population, prostitution was found to be a risk factor for total hepatitis B infection but not for surface antigenemia. Further studies are indicated to determine the incidence of chronic infection in adult women following sexual transmission of hepatitis B.
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