HIV hazard

Infections of the urethra can cause HIV-positive men to have eight times as
much virus in their semen as those with HIV but without urethritis, according to
a study of men in Malawi published in The Lancet (vol 349, p 1868). The
finding, from a team led by Myron Cohen of the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, helps to explain why HIV spreads quickly in regions with high rates
of untreated venereal diseases. Treating urethritis would be a particularly
effective way to combat the spread of HIV, the researchers say.