| Abstract: | A presentation at the 39th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) noted that people with genital warts have significantly higher levels of semen viral load than those without warts. Genital warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and are very common among the general population. Higher levels of HIV in semen may expose partners of HIV-positive men with genital warts to a greater risk of becoming infected. Another session presented statistics showing that rectal gonorrhea is increasing among gay men in New York and Paris, and cautioned that a corresponding increase in HIV rates could follow. Researchers are worried that the increase will include drug resistant strains of the virus. |
