Background: Women who practise prostitution constitute a high risk group for acquiring sexually transmitted diseases (STD). The aim of this study was to know the frequency of these processes among prostitutes in the province of Soria.
Methods: A descriptive transversal study including 86 women who voluntarily went to a Family Planning Center (FPC) in Soria was carried out in the period between October 1986 to December 1991. Patients were submitted to: investigation of T. vaginalis, N. gonorrhoeae, G. vaginalis, C. trachomatis, S. agalactiae and yeast infections. Complete clinical history was obtained from all including sociodemographic variables and those of risk of infection.
Results: Of the 86 women studied 12 (14%) had positive syphilis tests (treponemic and reaginic). In 12 (14%) N. gonorrhoeae was isolated. The search for C. trachomatis was positive in 16 (18.60%). In 19 (22.10%) T. vaginalis was directly observed. Twenty-three (26.74%) presented some type of positive serology to B virus. Five (5.81%) were HIV-1 seropositive. Candida spp. was isolated in 27 (31.39%) as was G. vaginalis and S. agalactiae in 21 (24.41%). Clinical examination did not show any macroscopic lesion suggesting venereal disease.
Conclusions: Infection by Candida spp. and G. vaginalis were found to be the most frequent. The seroprevalence of HIV-1 in this series was the lowest in the country having a clear relation with the use of intravenous drugs (IVDA). Sexually transmitted diseases maintain a high prevalence in high risk groups such as prostitutes thus requiring energic prevention plans, overall in the group of young IVDA prostitutes.