HIV May Pose Greater Risk To Women
Posted on: Wednesday, 17 December 2008, 13:25 CST
Unprotected sex may put women at a greater risk of contracting HIV than previously expected, researchers said.
Scientist previously believed that only damaged vaginal tissue was susceptible to being infected, but researchers have found that HIV is also able to infect through the squamous epithelium – the lining of the vagina.
Scientists assumed that HIV was more freely transmitted among unprotected partners by traveling through cuts or sores in the vaginal tract.
However, scientists from Northwestern University in Chicago found that HIV could move quickly between the skin cells themselves.
Using HIV "tagged" with a marker which gives off light, they observed that, within four hours, the virus had reached a fraction of a millimeter below the surface.
Scientists said this is deep enough to encounter the immune cells it needed to invade to establish itself in the body.
"This is an important and unexpected result - we have a new understanding of how HIV can invade the female vaginal tract,” said lead researcher Professor Thomas Hope.
"We urgently need new prevention strategies or therapeutics to block the entry of HIV through a woman's genital skin."
HIV protection organizations said the research underlines a need for partners to wear protection.
Hope said condoms are highly effective in blocking the virus, but people often do not want to use them for a variety of reasons.
"This is sadly not surprising, though it is an important finding,” said Lisa Power, from the Terrence Higgins Trust.
"We have long known that it is easier for a man to transmit HIV sexually to a woman than for a woman to transmit it to a man and this helps us understand why.
"This will help in developing better prevention mechanisms - but until then, it's more clear than ever that a condom is a vital part of safer sex."
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Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports
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