Background: Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is sexually transmitted and causes one of the genital ulcerative diseases associated with the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1).
Objective: To determine the prevalence of serological reactivity to a type specific HSV-2 antigen (gG2) ELISA assay.
Setting: Rakai district, Uganda.
Subjects: Two hundred and one serum samples of persons aged 15-54 years. The samples were randomly selected by a computer programme.
Results: Out of the 201 serum samples selected, 117 (58.2%) had serological evidence of HSV-2 infection. Twenty nine (32.2%) out of the 74 males and 88 (69.3%) out of the 127 females, respectively, had serological evidence of HSV-2 infection giving a female:male ratio of 1.8 (95% CI 1.3-2.4). The most important risk factor for acquisition of HSV-2 in males was found to be age while in the females, the most important risk factors were age and the number of sexual partners in the previous five years.
Conclusion: HSV-2 was highly prevalent in this rural population of Uganda.