title: Role of seminal shedding of herpesviruses in HIV Type 1 Transmission.
abstract: To investigate the role of genital shedding of herpesviruses in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) transmission, we compared 20 HIV-infected men who did and 26 who did not transmit HIV to their sex partners. As described previously, HIV transmission was associated with the potential source partner having higher levels of HIV RNA in blood and semen, having lower CD4(+) T cell counts, having bacterial coinfections in the genital tract, and not using antiretroviral therapy. This study extended these findings by observing significant associations between HIV transmission and the following characteristics, especially among therapy-naive potential source partners: seminal cytomegalovirus (CMV) shedding, seminal Epstein-Barr virus shedding, and levels of anti CMV immunoglobulin in blood plasma.
authors.affiliation: University of California-San Diego, La Jolla 92093-0679, USA. gianella@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gianella
authors.forename: Sheldon R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Milenka V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.forename: Jason A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: Bryan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Callahan
authors.forename: Douglas D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Richman
authors.forename: Susan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Little
authors.forename: Davey M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D060085:Coinfection; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology*; D006564:Herpesviridae / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D018451:Homosexuality, Male; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D012307:Risk Factors; D012661:Semen / Q000821:virology*; D017201:Virus Shedding
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral