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Science 7 June 1996:
Vol. 272. no. 5267, pp. 1421 - 1422
DOI: 10.1126/science.272.5267.1421
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News

Jon Cohen

The results of a monkey study, reported in this issue on page 1486, may lead to a reexamination of the risk of HIV infection from a practice that has seemed relatively safe: oral sex. The new study, headed by oncologist Ruth Ruprecht of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, found that six of seven monkeys became infected by SIV when the virus was placed gently on the backs of their tongues. Even more surprising: The minimum dose needed to infect monkeys with this strain of SIV was 6000 times lower than the minimum dose needed to infect them via the rectum. The amount of SIV needed to establish an infection was still relatively high and, as the paper underscores, it is highly unlikely that anyone could become infected by HIV from casual contact, such as kissing or sharing a fork. But Ruprecht says: "Given enough inoculum, the oral route can lead to infection."


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Sex Workers' Perspectives on Condom Use for Oral Sex with Clients: A Qualitative Study.
W. M. Lian, R. Chan, and S. Wee (2000)
Health Educ Behav 27, 502-516
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)