Tenofovir and HIV
Published on Nov 02, 2011
A vaginal gel that protects women from HIV appears to be even more protective against genital herpes, according to a study published recently in Cell Host & Microbe.
The drug, Tenofovir, is available in pill form and as a vaginal gel. As a pill, it can fight HIV infection. But as a gel, it can protect against HIV and herpes simplex virus (HSV), which causes genital herpes.
Tenofovir does not fight against herpes in pill form. This is because the pill form is not as highly concentrated as the gel, so it isn’t strong enough to fight HSV. The gel form is about 100 times stronger than the pill form. The gel is also more effective because the medication is applied directly to the vaginal walls.
Researchers from Belgium, Italy, and the United States followed up on a 2010 study that tested the gel form of Tenofovir in approximately 900 women from South Africa. The women applied the gel a few hours before and after having sex.
When using the gel, the women’s risk of HIV infection decreased by 39%. Their risk of herpes infection was reduced by 51%.
The most recent study revealed that Tenofovir fights HSV by disarming an enzyme that HSV needs to reproduce. Without the enzyme, HSV can’t spread.
Tenofovir can give women more control over their HIV and HSV protection, as they can apply the gel without their partner’s knowledge.
Currently, Tenofovir is not available in the United States.
Genital herpes is caused by two types of viruses, HSV-1 and HSV-2. Common symptoms are blisters in the genital and rectal areas. When the blisters break, they become open sores that take a few weeks to heal. The virus can stay in the body for a long time, so patterns of outbreaks can last for years, although they tend to be shorter and less severe as time goes by.
While there are medications that can help alleviate the symptoms of genital herpes, there is no cure. An infected person without symptoms can still pass the virus to a sex partner. Condoms can reduce the risk of transmission, but since HSV can still be passed through skin-to-skin contact, they are not 100% effective.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 16.2% of Americans between the ages of 14 to 49 have genital herpes caused by HSV-2. In this age group, about 20% of women and about 11% of men are infected. HSV is more commonly transmitted from men to women.
People infected with HSV are at higher risk of developing HIV infections.
For more:
Visitor Comments
Be the first to comment using the form below.
Submit Your Comment