A 22-year-old British woman was diagnosed with HIV after having her nails done using shared manicure equipment.

Doctors say the case, detailed in a medical journal, has revealed a new form of transmission for the virus.

However, the researchers warned that transmission through shared manicure equipment is a “very rare event” and the risks of infection from new sources are still very low.

When diagnosed, the woman was found to have advanced HIV, according to the report in the journal AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses.

But she had none of the usual risk factors for acquiring the virus, which is most commonly caught by having sex without a condom.

It can also be passed on by sharing infected needles and other injecting equipment, and from an HIV-positive mother to her child during pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding.

However, the woman did report having shared manicure instruments years before with a cousin who was later found to be HIV-positive.

Blood analysis suggested the woman contracted the virus around 10 years ago.

Further genetic analysis of the viruses from both patients suggested it came from a common ancestor, indicating the possibility HIV was transmitted through the manicure instruments.

Brian Foley of the HIV Sequence Database at the Los Alamos National Laboratory said the case should not make people scared of contact with people with the virus, as the risk of infection is very low.

However, the case could promote caution around sharing items which may contain blood, he said.

HIV is transmitted from one person to another through bodily fluids including blood, semen, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids and breast milk.

It must enter directly into a person’s bloodstream through an injection with a needle or syringe, or come in contact with damaged tissue, or a mucous membrane.

英女子因共用修甲器感染艾滋病毒

英国一名22岁的女性因与他人共用修甲器而被诊断出感染艾滋病毒。

医生表示，这一在医学杂志上详细介绍的案例揭示了病毒传播的新途径。

然而，研究人员提醒说，通过共用修甲器传染HIV的情况非常罕见，而从新途径感染的机率也很小。

《艾滋病研究和人类逆转录病毒》杂志的报道显示，该女子确诊时已处于艾滋病晚期了。

这名女性并没有感染艾滋病的常见高危因素。最常见的感染途径是未使用避孕套的性交。

艾滋病毒也会通过共用被病毒感染的针头或其他的注射设备，以及HIV阳性的母亲在怀孕、分

娩、哺乳期间传染给孩子。

然而，该女多年前曾与一位表亲共用修甲器，这位表亲后被检出HIV阳性。

血液分析表明女子大概十年前已染上艾滋病毒。进一步分析两位患者的病毒基因后发现病毒是同一个来源，这指出了HIV通过修甲器传播的可能。

洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室研究HIV序列数据库的布莱恩·弗利表示，此案例不应使人们恐惧与携带艾滋病毒的人接触，因为感染的几率很小。

不过他说，这件事可能提醒人们对共享可能含血液的物品更加谨慎。

艾滋病毒可通过体液包括血液、精液、直肠分泌物、阴道分泌物和乳汁传播。

它通过针头或注射器注射进入血液，或与受损组织或粘膜接触而传播。

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【美甲】

měijiǎ

manicure

a cosmetic treatment of the hands and fingernails

【感染】

gǎnrǎn

infection

being affected with a communicable disease