Association of cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus infections of the cervix in four clinic populations

The rates of isolation of cervical cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV) were compared for populations of four different clinics attended by a total of 1,755 women. The prevalence of CMV infection could be predicted by the prevalence of HSV infection, with CMV being 2.5 times as prevalent as HSV in each population. The overall infection rates for CMV and HSV were 4.1% and 1.7%, respectively. The 252 women attending the Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic had signifi­cantly higher rates of CMV and HSV infection (12.5% and 5.6%, respectively) than populations attending the other clinics. A strong relationship between marital status and CMV infection was observed. The estimated relative risk for single compared to married women was 2.9. These data verify the importance of the sexual route of transmission in the epidemiology of cervical infection with CMV.