Sindrup J H, Weismann K, Wantzin G L
AIDS Res. 1986 Fall;2(4):285-8. doi: 10.1089/aid.1.1986.2.285.
Out of 100 male homosexual persons screened for AIDS, 54 were found to be HTLV-III antibody positive. Of these, 34 (63%) had a positive history of syphilis, as compared to 16 (35%) of the 46 HTLV-III antibody negative persons (P less than 0.01). In the HTLV-III antibody positive group 12 (22%) had had more than three syphilis infections as compared to none in the negative group (P = 0.02). The frequency of a previous primary, secondary, and latent syphilitic infection was different in the two groups. During the 1970s and early 1980s the incidence of syphilis in the U.S.A. and in Denmark was increasing, but from 1982 the incidence decreased markedly, possibly a consequence of the fear of AIDS, which appeared in 1981-82. It is speculated that the high frequency of syphilis among homosexual men might have been a co-factor for the acquisition of the HTLV-III infection.
在接受艾滋病筛查的100名男性同性恋者中，发现54人HTLV - III抗体呈阳性。其中，34人（63%）有梅毒阳性史，而在46名HTLV - III抗体阴性者中有16人（35%）有梅毒阳性史（P小于0.01）。在HTLV - III抗体阳性组中，12人（22%）有三次以上梅毒感染史，而阴性组中无人有此情况（P = 0.02）。两组中既往一期、二期和潜伏梅毒感染的频率有所不同。在20世纪70年代和80年代初，美国和丹麦的梅毒发病率在上升，但从1982年起发病率显著下降，这可能是1981 - 1982年出现的对艾滋病的恐惧所致。据推测，同性恋男性中梅毒的高发病率可能是获得HTLV - III感染的一个辅助因素。
