Cases of HIV transmission between women have long been suspected within the LGBT community, but these have never confirmed by health officials. Unfortunately, this has caused many women to think of sex with other women as an HIV-free sexual sphere. So many were undoubtedly shocked today when US health officials confirmed the first case of female-to-female HIV transmission.
According to the
press release, issued by the US Center for Disease Control (CDC), a 46-year-old woman acquired HIV from her female partner in Texas between March 2012 and August 2012. The partner, a 43-year-old woman, tested positive for HIV in 2008, but she stopped receiving antiretroviral therapy two years later. Had she been on the HIV-suppressing drugs, the chance of transmission would have been greatly reduced. In addition, the CDC reports that the couple regularly failed to use safe-sex products such as dental dams, condoms and gloves during sex. But that information alone was not enough to verify the transmission event. Three additional factors made the confirmation possible.
First, the virus infecting the two women is nearly identical. Indeed, genetic sequencing revealed that three of the HIV virus' genes were a 98 percent match. Second, the woman who acquired the infection in 2012 did not participate in other risky behaviors, such as injection drugs use, acupuncture, and blood transfusions. Finally, CDC officials say that the virus could not have originated from a man, because the 46-year-old had not had heterosexual sex in 10 years (she also reported having sex solely with her female partner during the 6 months prior to the infection).
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Source:
Source:
The Verge
