Vagina bacteria may eat HIV prevention drugs and leave women at risk
By Christa Lesté-Lasserre Women with a certain mix of bacteria in their vaginas may be at a much greater risk of contracting HIV because the bacteria consume drugs that prevent infection with the virus. Oral pre-exposure prophylactic (PrEP) drugs are 90 percent effective in preventing HIV infections in men who have sex with men. But the efficacy of PrEP drugs drops to 50 percent or lower in women, regardless of whether they are taken orally or vaginally – and researchers lack a full explanation for why [...]