Xpert HIV-1 Viral Load Assay and VERSANT HIV-1 RNA 1.5 Assay: A Performance Comparison.

was not sequelae to reduced circulating estradiol concentrations. In their review, Hickey et al2 specified that DMPA enhanced susceptibility of Rhesus macaque (RM) to genital infection with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) but that concomitant use of exogenous estrogen was shown to abrogate this effect. Although our mouse model results imply that concomitant estrogen treatment would protect DMPA-treated RM from SIV,3 to date, there are no published reports from studies comparing SIV transmission in RM administered with progestin vs. progestin and estrogen. Conversely, Smith et al5,6 have shown that exogenous estrogen administration protected ovariectomized RM from SIV transmission. Therefore, as exogenous estrogen use may offer an effective adjuvant approach for reducing genital mucosal permeability in women using progestin-only compounds for LARC, defining the utility of this approach in experimental infection models seems warranted. It also seems useful to perform clinical studies to more fully define the effects of LNG-IUS use on anti–pathogenhost defense.