Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.) logoLink to British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.)
. 1988 Feb 20;296(6621):526–529. doi: 10.1136/bmj.296.6621.526

Heterosexual spread of human immunodeficiency virus in Edinburgh

A J France, C A Skidmore, J R Robertson, R P Brettle, J J K Roberts, S M Burns, C A Foster, J M Inglis, W B F Galloway, S J Davidson
PMCID: PMC2545169  PMID: 3126891

Abstract

Heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was investigated in 123 subjects with no apparent risk factor for infection other than having had heterosexual intercourse with a person who was either infected with HIV or at high risk of being infected with it. Seven subjects were found to be infected with the virus. Risk factors for transmission included being the regular sexual partner of an abuser of intravenous drugs and having a sexual relationship of more than 18 months' duration. Anal intercourse was not a risk factor in the three subjects who admitted to it. There were 41 regular partnerships with abusers of intravenous drugs in which the antibody state and history were fully known for both partners. In these partnerships male to female transmission of the virus occurred in five out of 34 (15%) and female to male in one out of seven. In 30 couples in whom one partner was known to be positive for HIV and an abuser of intravenous drugs four female partners were found to be seropositive at first testing, but there were no new positive results on subsequent serial testing. In six of these 30 couples both partners abused intravenous drugs but the partner who was negative for HIV remained so. Few of the partnerships always practised safe sexual techniques, even after a partner was known to be positive for HIV.

Heterosexual transmission of HIV occurred but was incomplete and may be related to the timing of the relationship with the infection.

Full text

PDF
528

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Allain J. P., Laurian Y., Paul D. A., Senn D. Serological markers in early stages of human immunodeficiency virus infection in haemophiliacs. Lancet. 1986 Nov 29;2(8518):1233–1236. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(86)92673-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Allain J. P. Prevalence of HTLV-III/LAV antibodies in patients with hemophilia and in their sexual partners in France. N Engl J Med. 1986 Aug 21;315(8):517–518. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198608213150815. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Biggar R. J. The AIDS problem in Africa. Lancet. 1986 Jan 11;1(8472):79–83. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(86)90728-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brettle R. P., Bisset K., Burns S., Davidson J., Davidson S. J., Gray J. M., Inglis J. M., Lees J. S., Mok J. Human immunodeficiency virus and drug misuse: the Edinburgh experience. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1987 Aug 15;295(6595):421–424. doi: 10.1136/bmj.295.6595.421. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Brettle R. P., Davidson J., Davidson S. J., Gray J. M., Inglis J. M., Conn J. S., Bath G. E., Gillon J., McClelland D. B. HTLV-III antibodies in an Edinburgh clinic. Lancet. 1986 May 10;1(8489):1099–1099. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(86)91367-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Heterosexual transmission of human T-lymphotropic virus type III/lymphadenopathy-associated virus. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1985 Sep 20;34(37):561–563. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Fischl M. A., Dickinson G. M., Scott G. B., Klimas N., Fletcher M. A., Parks W. Evaluation of heterosexual partners, children, and household contacts of adults with AIDS. JAMA. 1987 Feb 6;257(5):640–644. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Jones P., Hamilton P. J., Bird G., Fearns M., Oxley A., Tedder R., Cheingsong-Popov R., Codd A. AIDS and haemophilia: morbidity and morality in a well defined population. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1985 Sep 14;291(6497):695–699. doi: 10.1136/bmj.291.6497.695. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kreiss J. K., Kitchen L. W., Prince H. E., Kasper C. K., Essex M. Antibody to human T-lymphotropic virus type III in wives of hemophiliacs. Evidence for heterosexual transmission. Ann Intern Med. 1985 May;102(5):623–626. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-102-5-623. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Mann J. M., Bila K., Colebunders R. L., Kalemba K., Khonde N., Bosenge N., Nzilambi N., Malonga M., Jansegers L., Francis H. Natural history of human immunodeficiency virus infection in Zaire. Lancet. 1986 Sep 27;2(8509):707–709. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(86)90229-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Mann J. M., Francis H., Quinn T., Asila P. K., Bosenge N., Nzilambi N., Bila K., Tamfum M., Ruti K., Piot P. Surveillance for AIDS in a central African city. Kinshasa, Zaire. JAMA. 1986 Jun 20;255(23):3255–3259. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. May R. M., Anderson R. M. Transmission dynamics of HIV infection. Nature. 1987 Mar 12;326(6109):137–142. doi: 10.1038/326137a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Piot P., Kreiss J. K., Ndinya-Achola J. O., Ngugi E. N., Simonsen J. N., Cameron D. W., Taelman H., Plummer F. A. Heterosexual transmission of HIV. AIDS. 1987 Dec;1(4):199–206. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Redfield R. R., Markham P. D., Salahuddin S. Z., Sarngadharan M. G., Bodner A. J., Folks T. M., Ballou W. R., Wright D. C., Gallo R. C. Frequent transmission of HTLV-III among spouses of patients with AIDS-related complex and AIDS. JAMA. 1985 Mar 15;253(11):1571–1573. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Robertson J. R., Bucknall A. B., Welsby P. D., Roberts J. J., Inglis J. M., Peutherer J. F., Brettle R. P. Epidemic of AIDS related virus (HTLV-III/LAV) infection among intravenous drug abusers. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1986 Feb 22;292(6519):527–529. doi: 10.1136/bmj.292.6519.527. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Weinberg D. S., Murray H. W. Coping with AIDS. The special problems of New York City. N Engl J Med. 1987 Dec 3;317(23):1469–1473. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198712033172309. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Medical Journal (Clinical research ed.) are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES