One study finds AIDS virus transmitted orally

The virus that causes AIDS spreads surprisingly fast throughout the head and neck after oral exposure either through breastfeeding or semen and may result in a greater number of infections than previously believed, according to new research. The findings preliminary until confirmed by other investigators could have major health implications for women and girls worldwide. For the study published in December, researchers led by Donald Sodora, assistant professor of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, tracked the simian version of HIV, known as SIV, throughout the oral cavities and digestive tracts of monkeys. The animals were infected in their cheeks pouches. One day after exposure, scientists found lymph nodes tissue that serves as filters for the immune system in the head and neck had been infected. They also found the virus had infected much of the soft tissue in the mouth, including the gums, and also the esophagus and tonsils. Four days after infection, the AIDS virus was found in nearly all head and neck tissue. However, researchers did not find evidence AIDS had infected any of the digestive tract, leading scientists to suspect stomach acids may contain substances that ward off the virus. [more]