An in vitro evaluation of condoms as barriers to a small virus.
BACKGROUND
Because of the possible presence of small holes, the effectiveness of condoms as barriers to virus transmission is controversial.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the proportion of condoms that allow virus penetration and the amounts of virus that penetrate.


METHODS
A sensitive, static test was used to evaluate different condom types as barriers to a small virus, including brand with or without lubrication and ones of different materials. The test included some physiologic-based parameters and some parameters that exaggerated expected actual use conditions.


RESULTS
Under test conditions, 2.6% (12 of 470) of the latex condoms allowed some virus penetration; the median level of penetration was 7 x 10(-4) ml. Lubricated condoms performed similarly to nonlubricated ones. Polyurethane condoms yielded results higher than but not statistically different from those for latex condoms.


CONCLUSIONS
Few condoms allowed any virus penetration. The median amount of penetration for latex condoms when extrapolated to expected actual use conditions was 1 x 10(-5) ml (volume of semen). Thus, even for the few condoms that do allow virus penetration, the typical level of exposure to semen would be several orders of magnitude lower than for no condom at all.
Lytle
C D
CD
Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, Maryland 20857, USA.
Routson
L B
LB
Seaborn
G B
GB
Dixon
L G
LG
Bushar
H F
HF
Cyr
W H
WH
D010584:Bacteriophage phi X 174 / Q000502:physiology*; D017280:Condoms; D010539:Permeability