Multiple sexual partners and mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1
Bulterys, M.; Chao, A.; Dushimimana, A.; Habimana, P.; Nawrocki, P.; Kurawige, J.B.; Musanganire, F.; Saah, A.
Aids 7(12): 1639-1645
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0269-9370 PMID: 8286074 DOI: 10.1097/00002030-199312000-00015Document Number: 331377
Objective: To investigate risk factors for mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1, particularly sexual behavior before and during pregnancy. Design and methods: This study is part of a prospective cohort study in Butare, Rwanda, of 318 HIV-1-seropositive and 309 HIV-1 -seronegative women enrolled during pregnancy and followed for a mean duration of 21 months (range, 8-34 months). Clinical follow-up of the mother-infant pairs was performed at 6-week intervals during the first year of life and at 4-month intervals thereafter. Detailed sexual history interviews were conducted during pregnancy and at the first postnatal visit. Results: Of 184 singleton infants born to HIV-1 -infected mothers who survived the neonatal period, 32 (17%) children were classified as HIV-1-infected, 130 (71%) as not infected, and 22 (12%) died with indeterminate HIV-1 infection status. The vertical transmission rate was estimated to be between 20 and 29%. Unprotected sexual intercourse with increased number of partners during the past 5 years was strongly associated with mother-to-child transmission (P lt 0.001), even after adjustment for maternal CD4/CD8 ratio, parity, history of sexually transmitted diseases, and evidence of genital infection during pregnancy. In a multivariate analysis, excluding children with indeterminate HIV-1 status, odds ratios for vertical transmission were 2.6 (95% confidence interval (Cl), 1.0-6.9) for maternal CD4/CD8 ratio lt 0.5 and 3.6 (95% Cl, 1.1-11.8) for more than three sexual partners versus a single partner. Women with more than one sexual partner during the first trimester of pregnancy were at particularly high risk of transmitting the virus. Conclusion: Unprotected sexual intercourse with multiple partners before and during pregnancy in a population with high HIV-1 seroprevalence may well increase the likelihood of HIV-1 transmission from an infected mother to her child.