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HETEROSEXUAL TRANSMISSION OF HIV.

To gain insight into the risk of heterosexual transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), investigators studied 97 women who had had sexual contact with 93 men known to have either AIDS or serologic evidence of HIV infection. (Women who used intravenous drugs or who had a recent blood transfusion were eliminated from the study).

Twenty-three percent of the women were seropositive. The rate of infection was highest in women who had had more than 100 sexual contacts with infected men and in women who practiced anal intercourse. Condom use was not associated with a lower infection rate.

These data demonstrate that the risk of male-to-female transmission of HIV is considerable; they also raise questions about the effectiveness of "safe sex" practices.

Published in Journal Watch General Medicine August 21, 1987

Citation(s):

Padian N; Marquis L; Francis D P et al. Male-to-female transmission of human immunodeficiency virus. JAMA 1987 Aug 14 258 788-790.

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