TREATING SEXUALLY-TRANSMITTED DISEASES TO CONTROL HIV TRANSMISSION

In four treatment studies in men with urethritis, which documented the enhanced effect of sexually transmitted diseases on HIV-1 shedding, a ppropriate treatment of the urethritis resulted in a dramatic reductio n in the HIV shedding. The effects of sexually transmitted diseases an d their treatment have been found to be similar in women, but the data are much less conclusive. Prospective studies from all regions of the world continue to correlate sexually transmitted diseases with the tr ansmission of HIV, and in a recent trial it was shown that, in symptom atic individuals with sexually transmitted diseases, improved case man agement successfully lowered incident HIV infection. A randomized comm unity-based mass therapy trial is currently underway, which will demon strate the impact of the intensive treatment of sexually transmitted d iseases on incident HIV infection.