Prevalence and Incidence of HTLV-III Infection in a Prison

To the Editor.— Although acquired immunodeficiency syndrome has been reported in prisons, the magnitude of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III) infection in inmates is not well defined.1The potential for intraprison transmission clearly exists if a reservoir of infection is present. A history of intravenous drug abuse has been documented by over 30% of inmates at several prisons.2,3Among a sample of federal penitentiary inmates, 30% admitted to adult homosexual activity in a prison.4We undertook to document the prevalence and incidence of HTLV-III infection in a maximum-security military prison.