Volume 8, Number 8—August 2002
Dispatch
Shigellosis Linked to Sex Venues, Australia
Belinda O'Sullivan*, Valerie Delpech*
, Giulietta Pontivivo†, Thomas Karagiannis‡, Debbie Marriott‡, John Harkness‡, and Jeremy M. McAnulty*
, Giulietta Pontivivo†, Thomas Karagiannis‡, Debbie Marriott‡, John Harkness‡, and Jeremy M. McAnulty*Table
Characteristics of shigellosis patients and controls, New South Wales, Australia, April 1– July 31, 2000
| Patients N=42 (%) | Controls N=65 (%) | Crude odds ratio (95% CIa) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casual sex partners in the last 3 months | 37 (88) | 46 (71) | 3.1 (1.0 to 9.0)b |
| Visited a sex venue in the last 3 months | 31 (74) | 28 (43) | 3.6 (1.6 to 8.5)b |
| Visited a sex venue in the last 2 weeks | 24 (57) | 14 (22) | 4.8 (2.1 to 11.4)b |
| More than one sex partner in the last 2 weeks | 21 (50) | 21 (32) | 3.1 (1.3 to 7.5)b |
| Any sex in the 2 weeks before onset of illnessc | 37 (88) | 52 (80) | Incalcd |
| Oral receptive sex in the last 2 weeksd | 35 (83) | 48 (74) | 1.77 (0.7 to 4.7) |
| Anal insertive sex in the last 2 weeksd | 26 (62) | 32 (49) | 1.7 (0.8 to 3.7) |
| Anal receptive sex in the last 2 weeksd | 25 (60) | 28 (43) | 1.9 ( 0.9 to 4.3) |
| Oral-anal insertive sex in the last 2 weeksd | 13 (31) | 22 (34) | 0.9 (0.4 to 2.0) |
| Digital insertive sex in the last 2 weeksd | 26 (62) | 31 (48) | 1.8 (0.8 to 3.9) |
| Not always washing hands after sex in the last 2 weeks | 16 (38) | 19 (29) | 1.4 (0.6 to 3.2) |
| Dined out at a commercial food outletc in the last 3 days before onset of illness | 25 (60) | 27 (42) | 2.5 (1.1 to 5.8)b |
| Traveled overseas in the last 3 months | 9 (24) | 12 (18) | 1.3 (0.5 to 3.4) |
| HIV positive | 22 (52) | 31 (48) | 1.2 (0.6 to 2.6) |
a90% CI, 95% confidence intervals.
bSignificant at p<0.05
cFor controls, this question was asked in relation to previous 2 weeks rather than the 2 weeks before onset of illness.
dMissing values were excluded from the analysis except for sexual activity variables (e.g., oral insertive sex), for which participants were asked to indicate “yes” if they did the specified activity. As such, failure to answer these questions was considered a “no” response.
