Semen may harbor HIV despite effective HAART: another piece in the puzzle.
BACKGROUND
The risk of male-to-female intravaginal HIV-1 transmission is estimated at about 1 event per 200-2000 coital acts. The aim of this study was to assess the residual risk of HIV presence in semen in patients under HAART therapy.


RESULTS
The study took place in France from October 2001 to March 2009. 394 paired blood and semen samples were provided from 332 HIV-1 infected men. The Roche Cobas AMPLICOR Monitor HIV assay was used to quantify HIV-1 RNA in blood and in seminal plasma. Three percent of 394 HIV-1 infected men enrolled in an assisted reproductive technology program harbored detectable HIV-1 RNA in semen, although they had no other sexually transmitted disease and their blood viral load was undetectable for at least 6 months under antiretroviral treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that undetectable plasma HIV RNA means a lower risk of viral transmission through seminal fluid on a population level, but not necessarily at the level of the individual.
Halfon
Philippe
P
Department of Virology, Laboratoire Alphabio, Marseille, France. philippe.halfon@alphabio.fr
Giorgetti
Claude
C
Khiri
Hacène
H
Pénaranda
Guillaume
G
Terriou
Philippe
P
Porcu-Buisson
Géraldine
G
Chabert-Orsini
Véronique
V
D000328:Adult; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000097:blood / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012661:Semen / Q000821:virology*