Does Circumcision Reduce HIV Acquisition in Men Who Have Sex with Men?

Male circumcision has been proven to protect men against heterosexual HIV acquisition (JW AIDS Clin Care Mar 19 2007), but its potential benefits among men who have sex with men (MSM) are far less clear. Now comes a retrospective analysis of this issue in nearly 5000 MSM who participated in a large (null) HIV vaccine trial. Most men reported being circumcised (86%), were white (86%), and lived in the U.S. (92%). Sexual risk behavior was assessed every 6 months in face-to-face interviews.

Seven percent of the men became HIV-infected during the 36-month study. Risk factors included insertive anal intercourse with an HIV-infected partner, high school education or less, use of poppers, use of amphetamines/hallucinogens, and a larger number of ma…