Previous research has shown that circumcised men have a lower risk of HIV-1 infection than uncircumcised men. Laboratory findings have suggested that the foreskin is enriched with HIV-1 target cells. However, other research has suggested that circumcision could be an indicator for low-risk sexual behaviour.
Robert C Bollinger and colleagues from Johns Hopkins University Medical School, USA, and the National Aids Research Institute, Pune, India, observed how uncircumcised men attending sexually transmitted infection clinics in India were over six times more likely to acquire HIV infection than men who had been circumcised. All men were HIV-negative when first assessed; most men were assessed three times after initial assessment for around a year. No protective effect of circumcision against herpes simplex virus type 2, syphilis, or gonorrhoea was found.
Dr Bollinger comments: "These data confirm previous findings that male circumcision reduces the risk of HIV-1 acquisition. This analysis expands on earlier studies by including laboratory-defined incident STIs as outcomes in the analysis, as well as by including risk behaviour to control for other potential differences between circumcised and uncircumcised men. A unique and important finding from this study was a highly significant and specific protective effect of male circumcision on the risk of HIV-1 acquisition. Our data failed to show a significant protective effect of circumcision on the risk of the other STIs. These epidemiological data lend support to the hypothesis that male circumcision protects against HIV-1 infection primarily due to removal of the foreskin, which contains a high density of HIV-1-specific cellular targets, including CD4+ T-lymphocytes and Langerhans' cells, which are easily accessible to the virus through the thin layer of keratin overlying the inner mucosa".
Contact: Mr John Lazarou, Senior Media Relations Representative, Office of Corporate Communications, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 550 N Broadway, Room 1100, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA; T) 410-502-8902; F) 410-955-4452; E) jlazaro1@jhmi.edu
Journal
The Lancet