Does Circumcision of HIV-Infected Men Prevent HIV Acquisition in Their Female Partners?

Circumcision of HIV-negative men has emerged as one of the most effective methods for preventing HIV acquisition among men (JW AIDS Clin Care Mar 19 2007). Now, researchers have studied the effect of circumcision on HIV transmission from seropositive men to seronegative women in rural Uganda. In all, 922 uncircumcised HIV-seropositive men (age range, 15–49) were randomized to circumcision within 2 weeks (intervention group) or at 24 months (control group). Female partners were invited to participate, and, if they were HIV negative, they were followed for ≤24 months. Learning or disclosing one's HIV status was not a requirement for study entry.

The trial was stopped early because circumcision was unlikely to benefit women. In a modified inten…