Leonard.Levin@f140.n150.z1.fidonet.org (Leonard Levin) (10/03/89)
I'm not so sure that HIV transmission through oral secretions is such a "dead issue." A notable omission from your list of references is a paper published as recently as last year at the Fourth International Conference on AIDS, in Stockholm, in which Willy Rozenbaum (Poster 4562) reported two cases of patients infected with the AIDS virus whose only risk factor was passive fellatio. This finding suggests that saliva can indeed serve as a vector for HIV transmission. Nothwithstanding this finding, I point out that the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control report 400 cases of AIDS for whom, even after follow-up interviews, no risk factor could be identified. Therefore, to rule out oral sex as a risky behavior appears to me to be premature. While I would acknowledge that transmission by the oral route may be relatively rare, to classify oral sex as "probably safe" seems misleading and dangerous to the uninfected public. Given the lethal nature of this disease, I think being overly cautious is more prudent than taking unnecessary risks. -- Uucp: ...{gatech,ames,rutgers}!ncar!noao!asuvax!stjhmc!150!140!Leonard.Levin Internet: Leonard.Levin@f140.n150.z1.fidonet.org
Patrick.Harkin@f64.n255.z2.fidonet.org (Patrick Harkin) (10/08/89)
I'm replying to this 'at the keyboard' so I can't provide an accurate reference but the was a paper in The Lancet some time in the last 18 months describing HIV transmission by fellatio. As a pathologist, I find it difficult to accept fellatio as safe - the back of the throat is *designed* to grab antigens from swallowed material. That's what tonsils are for, after all! Still, even the Lancet study could only get three cases, so absolute risks must be minimal. regards Pat Harkin PS The lancet has also report a case of conception via fellatio. The woman (who had an imperforate vagina) was caught in flagrante by her other boyfriend, and was stabbed in the abdomen. Perforation of the stomach allowed viable sperm into the peritoneum, and that's a standard site for some assisted conception techniques. Looks like anything is possible........... -- Uucp: ...{gatech,ames,rutgers}!ncar!noao!asuvax!stjhmc!2!255!64!Patrick.Harkin Internet: Patrick.Harkin@f64.n255.z2.fidonet.org
Patrick.Harkin@f64.n255.z2.fidonet.org (Patrick Harkin) (10/08/89)
I'm replying to this 'at the keyboard' so I can't provide an accurate reference but the was a paper in The Lancet some time in the last 18 months describing HIV transmission by fellatio. As a pathologist, I find it difficult to accept fellatio as safe - the back of the throat is *designed* to grab antigens from swallowed material. That's what tonsils are for, after all! Still, even the Lancet study could only get three cases, so absolute risks must be minimal. regards Pat Harkin PS The lancet has also report a case of conception via fellatio. The woman (who had an imperforate vagina) was caught in flagrante by her other boyfriend, and was stabbed in the abdomen. Perforation of the stomach allowed viable sperm into the peritoneum, and that's a standard site for some assisted conception techniques. Looks like anything is possible........... -- Uucp: ...{gatech,ames,rutgers}!ncar!noao!asuvax!stjhmc!2!255!64!Patrick.Harkin Internet: Patrick.Harkin@f64.n255.z2.fidonet.org