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Keith Henry, MD; Kent Crossley, MD
University of Minnesota Medical School and the St Paul Department of Health

JAMA. 1986;256(11):1442.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

We were interested in reading the letter by Conant et al¹ regarding their laboratory data that condoms prevent transmission of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-associated virus. It is reassuring that retroviruses cannot pass through latex, synthetic skin, or natural lamb skin. The use of condoms has become a cornerstone for safe sexual activity, being recommended to prevent transmission of the AIDS-associated retrovirus. We feel that other factors regarding condoms are much more likely to result in failure to prevent transmission than the virus actually passing through the prophylactic. These factors have already been well substantiated by the 10% failure rate per year of condoms to prevent pregnancies.²

It is not yet clear whether gay men are more motivated to employ condoms to prevent the transmission of AIDS-associated retrovirus than heterosexual couples are likely to use condoms as a means of birth control. The appropriate use of . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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