Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Reuters NewMedia, Inc. - Thursday July 10 5:48 PM EDT
Mike Cooper
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the unidentified woman most likely became infected with HIV through deep kisses with her sexual partner, whose saliva was contaminated because his gums bled after he brushed and flossed his teeth.
"This is the first documented case of transmission through contact with blood during deep kissing," the CDC's Dr. Scott Holmberg said.
"The CDC has long recommended against deep kissing with infected or potentially infected persons because of this potential for contact with blood," he said.
Holmberg said none of the country's more than 500,000 reported AIDS cases have been attributed to exposure to saliva, which usually inhibits HIV's ability to infect. In this case, blood in the saliva apparently carried the AIDS virus.
"We have not observed any instances of HIV transmission through regular kissing," Holmberg said. "Exposure to saliva uncontaminated with blood is a highly unlikely vehicle for HIV transmission."
The couple, an HIV-infected man and a female sex partner, were enrolled in an AIDS study in 1992. She became infected between July 1994 and July 1995, the CDC said.
The man said his gums frequently bled after he brushed and flossed his teeth and the couple generally engaged in sexual intercourse and "deep kissing" at night after he brushed his teeth.
Interviews with the couple indicated they always used latex condoms during intercourse. Researchers said they ruled out other possible paths of HIV tranmsmission, such as oral sex or the woman's one-time use of the man's toothbrush and razor.
The CDC said it could not be certain of the route of HIV transmission, but said that deep kissing was the most likely possibility. Tests found the virus of both partners was genetically similar, supporting the conclusion that HIV was transmitted from one to the other.
There have been instances where HIV has been transmitted through the bite of an infected person whose saliva was contaminated with HIV-infected blood.
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