Female prostitutes: a risk group for infection with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III

In July, 1984 33 female prostitutes in Rwanda and 25 male customers of prostitutes were assessed clinically and for their T-lymphocyte subsets and frequency of antibodies to human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III). 27 healthy males who denied contact with prostitutes, 33 healthy women who were not prostitutes, and 51 Rwandese prostitutes seen in 1983 served as controls. Only 6 prostitutes were symptom-free (group I), 13 had unexplained generalised lymphadenopathy (LAP) (group II), and 14 had LAP and constitutional symptoms (group III). Mean OKT4/OKT8 ratio in groups II and III was significantly lower than that in group I or in female controls. HTLV-III antibodies were detected in 29 of 33 prostitutes, 4 female controls, 7 male customers, and 2 male controls. In male customers, HTLV-III seropositivity increased according to the number of different sexual partners per year. This study suggests that in Central Africa prostitutes are a high-risk group for HTLV-III infection.