Wednesday, 19 March 2014

Rare female-to-female HIV case reported in US

United States health officials have published details of a
rare case of suspected female-to-female HIV infection.

A 46-year-old woman "likely acquired" the virus during a
six-month monogamous relationship with a HIV-positive
woman in Texas, said the Centers for Disease Control .

She was infected with a strain that had a 98 per centre
genetic match to her partner's.

The virus can be transmitted when bodily fluids come
into contact with cuts, abrasions and mucus membranes.

"In this case, the discordant couple [one HIV-infected
partner and one uninfected partner] routinely had direct
sexual contact – without using barrier methods for
protection – that involved the exchange of blood through
abrasions received during sexual activity," the CDC said
in summary of the report

The originally uninfected partner is said to have had a
history of heterosexual relationships but none during the
past 10 years.

She also had none of the other HIV exposure risks,
including intravenous drug use.
Her partner, a 43-year-old woman, had stopped taking
antiretroviral drugs in 2010.
—bbcnews

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

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