[Serologic study on the prevalence of HIV, HBV infection and on the false positive reaction of VDRL at a prison].

Prisoners are considered to be a high risk population for HIV and HBV infection. Aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HIV, HBV infection and of the VDRL false positivity by performing screening tests in 496 prisoners of Monza in 1987. About a third of prisoners was HIV infected (with a high prevalence in drug addicts) and about a half had a contact with HBV virus. We observed a very common association between HIV and HBV infections. About ten per cent of HIV infected presented a false positivity for VDRL while one per cent of not infected did. Our data show that in Italian prison HIV and HBV infections are spreadly diffused. False positivity for VDRL may be due not only to drug addiction but also to the immunological variations connected with AIDS.