Exposure to antiretrovirals in babies of HIV-positive women detected

Babies of HIV positive women have shown exposure to antiretrovirals, says a study. The researchers analyzed the blood and hair samples of these babies and found that these samples show exposure to the antiretroviral drugs, both in the womb and from breast-feeding.

"We found high levels of exposure to three antiretroviral medications in the hair samples of 12-week-old infants who were uninfected by HIV," study co-author, Monica Gandhi, associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) has been quoted as saying.

"From looking at plasma level data at the same time point, we believe that transfer of two of the medicines from mother to baby occurs exclusively in the womb and transfer of the third medication occurs both in the womb and through breastfeeding," Gandhi has been quoted saying in a California statement.

The research could encourage experts to devise ways to protect infants from HIV transmission and to better understand the development of toxicities and resistance to the drugs, says researchers from UCSF and Makerere University, Uganda.

A single plasma level of a medication shows drug exposure over approximately 24 hours.

Exposure over the past month can be revealed by measuring the concentrations of antiretrovirals in a small hair sample.

--with inputs from IANS