PI Perspective #24

April 1998     View PDF

HIV and the Genital Tract

The presence of HIV in the genital tract has been previously reported, with several studies showing that reductions in viral load in this compartment correlate with decreases in blood for individuals on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). However, recent studies have shown that HIV is also produced in cells in the genital tract and can have unique resistance mutations compared to those in blood. In addition, viral load can sometimes be measured in the genital tract in the presence of infections or invasive procedures, even when it is not measurable in blood. This is important because many have assumed that undetectable virus levels in blood, using the currently available tests, automatically means undetectable virus levels in the genital tract. These findings have implications for both perinatal and sexual transmission, but further research is required.