HIV hiding in testes

The finding, which may explain why HIV can still be found in the semen of men even after drugs have cleared the virus from their blood, could help in the development of new drugs that target HIV in the testes, BBC News reported.

"Although highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) may achieve undetectable virus levels in the blood, virus replication in the testes may permit continued spread of the virus," wrote the researchers, from Rennes University.

"It has long been known that the testes act as a reservoir for HIV, but this is the first piece of research that really demonstrates exactly why this is the case," a spokesman for Avert, a British HIV and Aids charity, told BBC News. – (HealthDayNews)

February 2007