Sexually transmitted diseases in leprosy patients in north and northeastern India. A futile search for human immunodeficiency virus antibody.

Three-hundred-eighty-four leprosy patients were clinically examined for sexually transmitted diseases (STD) in north and northeastern India, revealing a high incidence (5.2%) of STD among them. Eighteen males, one female, and one eunuch were found to have chancroid ulcer, gonococcal urethritis, lymphogranuloma inguinale, and primary chancre. Of these patients, only 100, selected randomly, could be screened serologically for STD due to Treponema pallidum, herpes simplex (type 1 and 2), Entamoeba histolytica, hepatitis-associated virus, cytomegalovirus, Chlamydia trachomatis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); 100 control sera were included for comparison. In addition, sera from another 133 normal subjects and another 176 lepromatous patients were also screened for HIV antibody. Thus, a total of 233 normal sera and 276 leprosy sera were tested for HIV antibody. Although our leprosy patients have shown significantly high incidences of clinical STD and also high seropositivity against T. pallidum, herpes-simplex viruses types 1 and 2, hepatitis-associated virus, and cytomegalovirus, the search for antibody against HIV was negative. Our clinical and serological data suggest promiscuity in our patient population. The absence of HIV antibody in this high-risk population, however, seems to be an enigma.