October 15, 2014 - HIVandHepatitis.com.
HIV may infect T-cells throughout the female reproductive tract including the vagina, ovaries, and surrounding lymph nodes -- not only the cervix, which has been the focus of most previous research, according to a study of macaque monkeys published in the October 9 edition of PLoS Pathogens.
Daniel Stieh and Thomas Hope from Northwestern University and colleagues used an engineered SIV-based vector containing reporter chemicals that show up in color so researchers could follow the path of viral infection. They found the entire female reproductive could contain infected cells within 48 hours after vaginal exposure.
"Based on these findings, it is essential that protective mechanisms for prevention of HIV acquisition must be present at protective levels throughout the entire female reproductive tract to provide complete protection," the study authors concluded. Continue reading…
