title: The role of semen in sexual transmission of HIV: beyond a carrier for virus particles.
abstract: Unprotected sexual intercourse between discordant couples is by far the most frequent mode of HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus type 1) transmission being semen the main vector for HIV-1 dissemination worldwide. Semen is usually considered merely as a vehicle for HIV-1 transmission. In this review we discuss recent observations suggesting that beyond being a carrier for virus particles semen markedly influences the early events involved in sexual transmission of HIV through the mucosal barriers.
authors.affiliation: Centro Nacional de Referencia para el SIDA, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sabatté
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Remes Lenicov
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cabrini
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rodriguez Rodrigues
authors.forename: Matías
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ostrowski
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ceballos
authors.forename: Sebastián
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amigorena
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Geffner
mesh_terms: D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008297:Male; D012661:Semen / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000821:virology*; D014621:Vagina / Q000737:chemistry; D014771:Virion; D053585:Virus Attachment