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HIV/AIDS
Can the tonsils influence oral HIV transmission?
August 14th, 2007
Current research demonstrates that the tonsils may possess the necessary factors to act as a transmission site for the spread of HIV. The related report by Moutsopoulos et al, “Tonsil Epithelial Factors May Influence Oropharyngeal Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transmission,” appears in The American Journal of Pathology. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) spreads mainly through sexual contact of mucosal surfaces, which the virus must cross to come in contact with underlying immune cells for infection to occur. While the oral mucosal surfaces are largely protected by their thickened exterior and the defensive proteins present in saliva, it is speculated that a low number...
Source: Virus Weekly (2007-08-14)
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