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News/Event Item
One Study Finds AIDS Virus Transmitted Orally
21 December 2004
By Katrina Woznicki
The virus that causes AIDS spreads surprisingly fast throughout the head and neck after oral exposure--either through breastfeeding or semen--and may result in a greater number of infections than previously believed, according to new research.
The findings--preliminary until confirmed by other investigators--could have major health implications for women and girls worldwide. Many women have no other choice but to breastfeed their babies (and breastfeeding is the best method in most cases to maximize the women's and the infants' health) and many may not have sexual partners willing to wear protection against the virus, such as condoms, during oral sex.
...The animals were infected in their cheeks pouches. One day after exposure, scientists found lymph nodes--tissue that serves as filters for the immune system--in the head and neck had been infected. They also found the virus had infected much of the soft tissue in the mouth, including the gums, and also the esophagus and tonsils. Four days after infection, the AIDS virus was found in nearly all head and neck tissue. However, researchers did not find evidence AIDS had infected any of the digestive tract, leading scientists to suspect stomach acids may contain substances that ward off the virus.
Copyright 2004 Women's eNews
For the Full Article, go to:
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=2115
Related Article
UT Southwestern Researchers Trace how Virus that Causes AIDS Spreads Following Oral Exposure
http://www8.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/cda/dept37389/files/197419.html
category: News from Other Sources : AIDS News
contributed by Andrea Welch on 21 December 2004
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