Seroprevalence of HIV antibody among individuals entering the Iowa Prison System.

From January 1 to April 30, 1986, all individuals entering the Iowa prison system were tested for antibody to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Sera were collected on 363 newly incarcerated inmates, 389 inmates returning to prison, and 107 forensic psychiatric patients. Three of the 859 serum samples (0.3 per cent) tested during this study were reactive by ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) testing, but none reactive by the Western blot. Analysis for AIDS risk factors included a high prior IV-drug use rate (22-50 per cent) and a low admitted homosexuality rate in a predominantly young white male population.