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The use of antiretroviral therapy
(ART) prevents replication of HIV in the blood; however, a recent study
indicates that shedding of HIV may continue in semen, so individuals undergoing
ART can infect others through unprotected sexual intercourse.
Swiss researcher Sara Gianella
Weibel and American colleagues working at the University of California in San
Diego studied semen of 114 HIV-infected men receiving ART and who have sex with
men. Results show that semen of 11 men contained a large quantity of human
immunodeficiency viruses, although their blood viral load was very low.
Gianella also found different types of herpes in eight of the 11 participants.
The researchers suggest that
although some herpes viruses may remain unnoticed, such as cytomegalovirus, if
they infect the male genital tract, they locally activate the immune system.
This results in a build-up of immune cells, including those in which HIV
replicates in the genital area. Gianella concluded that data suggests attention
must be focused on other viruses in the fight to stop HIV transmission.
The full report, “Shedding of HIV
and Human Herpes Viruses in the Semen of Effectively Treated HIV-1 Infected Men
Who Have Sex with Men,” was published online in the journal Clinical Infectious
Diseases (2013; doi:10.1093/cid/cit252).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus.
To learn more about The Friends of
AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
