Introduction: Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are most frequently expressed in margina¬lized populations, such as as homeless individuals or those with substance abuse issues.
Materials and Methods: Through a retrospective descriptive study, the prevalence of various STDs was determined among residents of a Social Inclusion Center in Venezuela from 2013 to 2018. For this purpose, serum from 280 individuals were analyzed with ELISA tests from different biotech companies.
Results: 50 cases (17.86%) were sero-reactive to any of the STIs investigated. The most preva¬lent biomarker during the study period studied was antiHBc (13.9%) and the lowest prevalen¬ces were HBsAg with 0.75%, HCV with 0.71%, and Treponema pallidum with 2.85%, as well as 2.14% for HIV. No cases of HTLV were detected. Similarly, there was coinfection between hepatitis B and HIV in 2.32% of cases, between hepatitis C and HIV in 1.5%, and between syphillis and hepatitis in 1,5% and 5,8% of cases (in 2014 and 2018 respectively).
Discussion: Individuals in Centers for Social Inclusion are at risk of presenting STIs and co¬infections; therefore, STI prevention campaigns and screenings should be conducted in this vulnerable group.
Keywords:
Infecciones de transmisión sexual, Co-infección, Serotipificación, Diagnóstico, Inmunoensayo ligado a enzimas, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Co-infection, Serotyping, Diagnosis, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Vizcaya, T. (2020). Study of biomarkers of sexually transmitted infections in a social inclusion center in Venezuela: 2013–2018. Revista Chilena De Salud Pública, 24(1), p. 30–39. https://doi.org/10.5354/0719-5281.2020.57583
