Heterosexually Acquired Infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

Excerpt

Although most cases of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the United States continue to occur in homosexual or bisexual men and intravenous drug abusers, concern about widespread heterosexual transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) persists. Epidemiologic data suggest that the risk for acquiring HIV infection through heterosexual contact is far from uniform and differs widely by geographic region, race or ethnicity, sex, and age (1). Heterosexual men and women who abuse intravenous drugs are currently the primary source for heterosexual transmission. Important questions remain, however, about the efficiency of transmission, cofactors facilitating transmission, and the extent of infection