fluid, there can still be viral genetic material inside

cells within the fluid, even after two years on treatment. It has been shown this type of virus can cause new infections in laboratory conditions. However, the chemicals that stimulate HIV-infected cells to produce new virus can be present in the vagina and urethra - so it could happen.
We do know that a minority - under five per cent - of men who have undetectable viral loads in blood do have detectable virus in their semen.
More worryingly, a recent study showed that a third of women who had blood viral loads under 400 had detectable virus - that means quite a bit more than 400 - in their genital tract. Three-quarters of them were taking combination therapy.
It's true that infection with low, but detectable, viral loads is rare - one African survey reported no infections from anyone with a viral load less than 1500. But some people may have much more virus than this in their genital fluids - especially if they have a sexually-transmitted infection (STI).
GC: So if one of the partners has an STI, they could become infected or reinfect a partner with HIV when they couldn't before?
ST: Yes. People with STIs are both more infectious and more susceptible to HIV infection. The study often quoted is one of men in Malawi. Those that had urethritis inflammation of the urethra - due to STIs like chlamydia or gonorrhoea had viral

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loads in their semen eight times higher than those that didn't.
Perhaps more importantly, and less well-known, is the fact that some STIs