Santmyire B R
West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, USA.
Obstet Gynecol Surv. 2001 May;56(5):306-12. doi: 10.1097/00006254-200105000-00026.
The impact of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa on future mortality rates of infants, children, and mothers, life expectancy, and economic growth is profound. Vertical transmission of HIV, transmission from mother to child, is a major factor in the increasing rates of HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa. Vertical transmission of HIV occurs in utero, intrapartum during labor and delivery, and postpartum during breast-feeding. Because of the large numbers of HIV-infected mothers in developing countries, the majority trials regarding prevention of vertical transmission of HIV have been conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, sub-Saharan Africa has become a human laboratory, which demonstrates both the successes and failures of preventative methods to reduce vertical transmission of HIV. This review summarizes the body of research dedicated to understanding the pathophysiology of vertical transmission of HIV and pharmacology of inhibition of vertical transmission of HIV. While many debate the ethics of conducting trials in developing countries where effective prevention modalities have been slow to be implemented for economic, social and political reasons, studies continue and researchers continue to discover therapies and preventative methods, which may reduce the future devastation of HIV both in sub-Saharan Africa and throughout the world.
人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）在撒哈拉以南非洲地区的流行，对婴儿、儿童和母亲未来的死亡率、预期寿命以及经济增长都有着深远影响。HIV的垂直传播，即母婴传播，是撒哈拉以南非洲地区HIV感染率不断上升的一个主要因素。HIV的垂直传播发生在子宫内、分娩过程中以及产后母乳喂养期间。由于发展中国家有大量感染HIV的母亲，大多数关于预防HIV垂直传播的试验都是在撒哈拉以南非洲地区进行的。因此，撒哈拉以南非洲地区已成为一个人体实验室，展示了减少HIV垂直传播预防方法的成功与失败。这篇综述总结了致力于了解HIV垂直传播病理生理学以及抑制HIV垂直传播药理学的研究成果。尽管许多人对在发展中国家进行试验的伦理问题存在争议，由于经济、社会和政治原因，有效的预防措施在这些国家实施缓慢，但研究仍在继续，研究人员也在不断发现可能减少未来撒哈拉以南非洲地区乃至全世界HIV危害的治疗方法和预防措施。
