PHA-Exchange> HIV and circumcision

[Claudio]

> "Circumcision Seen as Method to Block HIV Infection"
> Reuters (03.26.04)
>       A recent study shows that circumcised men are less likely to 
> contract HIV for biological, not behavioral, reasons. Previous studies 
> have shown that men whose foreskin was removed are six to eight times 
> less likely to become HIV-positive, but scientists debated about the 
> reason.
>      Researchers at Johns Hopkins University Medical School-Baltimore 
> found circumcision has a protective effect against HIV, but not against 
> other STDs such as syphilis and gonorrhea. "The specificity of this 
> relation suggests a biological rather than behavioral explanation for 
> the protective effect of male circumcision against HIV," Dr. Robert 
> Bollinger wrote in the Lancet. 
>      Bollinger and co-authors studied men in India, where circumcision 
> is not common, between 1993-2000. All of the 2,298 study participants 
> were attending one of three STD clinics and were HIV-negative at the 
> study's start. Researchers assessed the men's HIV status and risk 
> behavior regularly.
>      Because circumcision did not prevent the men from contracting 
> other STDs, Bollinger believes the study supports the hypothesis that 
> HIV protection derives from the removal of the foreskin, which contains 
> cells with HIV receptors that scientists suspect are the primary entry 
> point for HIV into the penis. "Our results suggest that the foreskin 
> has an important role in the biology of sexual transmission of HIV," 
> Bollinger said.
>      Bollinger and his team have called for clinical trials, where 
> circumcision is culturally acceptable, to assess the safety and 
> effectiveness of the practice as a tool against HIV/AIDS. They also 
> stressed the need for new compounds to block the virus's entry into the 
> cell.
>      The study, "Male Circumcision and Risk of HIV-1 and Other Sexually 
> Transmitted Infections in India," appeared in the Lancet