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The Context of HIV Risk Among Drug Users and Their Sexual Partners

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<strong>HIV</strong>/AIDS <strong>Risk</strong>s <strong>Among</strong> Male,<br />

Heterosexual Noninjecting <strong>Drug</strong><br />

<strong>Users</strong> Who Exchange Crack for<br />

Sex<br />

James A. Inciardi<br />

INTRODUCTION<br />

Of the 249, 199 cumulative adult/adolescent acquired immunodeficiency<br />

syndrome (AIDS) cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control <strong>and</strong><br />

Prevention (CDC) through December 1992, only 7 percent (N = 16,254)<br />

were the result <strong>of</strong> heterosexual contact, <strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> these, some 39 percent<br />

(N = 6,419) occurred among men (CDC 1993). As such, heterosexual<br />

contact accounts for only 3 percent <strong>of</strong> all reported AIDS cases among<br />

men in the United States.<br />

At present, the biological variables that determine human<br />

immunodeficiency virus (<strong>HIV</strong>) infectivity (the tendency to spread from<br />

host to host) <strong>and</strong> susceptibility (the tendency for a host to become<br />

infected) are incompletely understood. <strong>HIV</strong> has been isolated from the<br />

semen <strong>of</strong> infected men, <strong>and</strong> it appears that it may be harbored in the cells<br />

<strong>of</strong> preejaculated fluids or sequestered in inflammatory lesions (Fischl<br />

1988). Furthermore, there is evidence that women can harbor <strong>HIV</strong> in<br />

vaginal <strong>and</strong> cervical secretions at varying times during the menstrual<br />

cycle (Vogt et al. 1986, 1987; W<strong>of</strong>sy 1986).<br />

<strong>The</strong> probability <strong>of</strong> sexual transmission <strong>of</strong> <strong>HIV</strong> among gay <strong>and</strong> bisexual<br />

men through anal intercourse <strong>and</strong> to women through vaginal intercourse<br />

has been well documented (Kasalow <strong>and</strong> Francis 1989; Ma <strong>and</strong><br />

Armstrong 1989). However, although there is the potential for viral<br />

transmission from female secretions, the absolute amounts <strong>of</strong> virus in<br />

these secretions appear to be relatively low. <strong>The</strong> efficiency <strong>of</strong><br />

transmission <strong>of</strong> male-to-female versus female-to-male is likely affected<br />

by the relative infectivity <strong>of</strong> these different secretions, as well as sex<br />

during menses, specific sexual practices, the relative integrity <strong>of</strong> skin <strong>and</strong><br />

mucosal surfaces involved, <strong>and</strong> the presence <strong>of</strong> other sexually transmitted<br />

diseases (STDs). Given this, there are a number <strong>of</strong> issues to be examined<br />

when considering the heterosexual transmission <strong>of</strong> <strong>HIV</strong> among male<br />

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