The role of sexually transmitted diseases in HIV transmission

More than 42 million people worldwide are now infected with HIV, in spite of sustained prevention activities. Although the spread of HIV has been primarily sexual, epidemiological studies have indicated that the efficiency of the spread of HIV is poor, perhaps as infrequently as 1 in every 1,000 epi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Nature reviews. Microbiology 2004-01, Vol.2 (1), p.33-42
Main Authors:	Cohen, Myron S, Galvin, Shannon R
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Disease Susceptibility Female HIV Infections - transmission HIV Infections - virology HIV-1 - pathogenicity Humans Male Risk-Taking Sexual Behavior Sexually Transmitted Diseases - transmission
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	More than 42 million people worldwide are now infected with HIV, in spite of sustained prevention activities. Although the spread of HIV has been primarily sexual, epidemiological studies have indicated that the efficiency of the spread of HIV is poor, perhaps as infrequently as 1 in every 1,000 episodes of sexual intercourse. However, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that cause ulcers or inflammation greatly increase the efficiency of HIV transmission--by increasing both the infectiousness of, and the susceptibility to HIV infection. STDs might be particularly important in the early stages of a localized HIV epidemic, when people with risky sexual behaviour are most likely to become infected. In China, eastern Europe and Russia, there has been a remarkable increase in the incidence of STDs in recent years, and this is reflected in the rapid increase in the spread of HIV in these areas. Targeted STD detection and treatment should have a central role in HIV prevention in these emerging epidemics.
ISSN:	1740-1526 1740-1534