This article is part of the supplement: Fourth Dominique International Conference. Maternal chronic viral infections transmitted to infants: from mechanisms to prevention and care

Lecture presentation

Mechanisms by which co-infections modify HIV-1 transmission

Grace C John-Stewart

University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA

corresponding author email

Retrovirology 2008, 5(Suppl 1):L4doi:10.1186/1742-4690-5-S1-L4

Published:	9 April 2008

First paragraph (this article has no abstract)

Women with HIV-1 are frequently co-infected with other pathogens that may influence transmission of HIV-1. Bacterial, helminth, and viral infections are prevalent in settings with high HIV-1 prevalence and may be associated with immune activation, increased HIV-1 replication and genital shedding. Discerning the contribution of co-infections to HIV-1 transmission is difficult because co-infections are more prevalent with advanced HIV-1, a scenario in which transmission is concurrently elevated due to increased systemic HIV-1 burden.