Scientists Document Rare HIV Transmission Through Female-to-Female Sexual Contact
A woman in Texas likely infected her female partner with HIV through sexual contact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&nbsp;reported&nbsp;Thursday.
The case offers the strongest evidence to date that HIV transmission between women, although rare, is possible.
&quot;There were cases where it was suspected, but not all the pieces were there to say it so clearly as this one,&quot; says&nbsp;Patrick Sullivan, an epidemiologist at Emory University who wasn&amp;#8217;t involved in the study.
The circumstances in this case were unique, a spokeswoman for the CDC tells Shots. The couple frequently had sexual contact without a barrier and exchanged blood through rough sex with toys.
The case is a good reminder that HIV can spread during all types of sexual interactions, Sullivan says.
&quot;Anytime there&amp;#8217;s intimate contact &mdash; even through the use of sex toys &mdash; prevention measures should be taken, especially when there&amp;#8217;s a chance of blood contact,&quot; he says.
The HIV virus can be found in vaginal fluid and menstrual blood. But it&amp;#8217;s been tough for researchers to determine the risk of infection between women. In many cases, other transmission routes, such as intravenous drug use and heterosexual intercourse, can&amp;#8217;t be ruled out.
These other risk factors weren&amp;#8217;t present in the current case, a CDC team&nbsp;wrotein the current issue of the&nbsp;Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Photo: An at-home HIV test shows a negative result. (Alex Alonso/Flicrk.com)