Genital HIV shedding in women

Heterosexual transmission of HIV is the predominant transmission mode among adults world-wide, while mother-to-child transmission accounts for the majority of HIV infections in children. Factors that affect genital tract shedding of HIV virus or cell-associated provirus in women are probably important determinants of infectiveness, and hence of transmission risk during sexual contact or delivery. This review discusses the genital HIV RNA and DNA loads in relation to those in the blood and outlines some of the parameters influencing genital tract shedding of HIV.