Microbicides 2004 Microbicides 200428-31 March 2004, Hilton London MetropoleThe conference42 million men, women and children worldwide were living with HIV by the end of December 2002 (source: UNAIDS), including five million newly-infected during that year alone. Another 45 million people will become infected between 2002 and 2010, unless the current transmission rates can be vastly reduced. Of the 42 million, 29.4 million live in sub-Saharan Africa and 58% of them are women. Not only are women more susceptible to HIV infection, many are powerless to insist on the use of condoms or other methods of protecting themselves. In this context, and with the knowledge that an effective HIV vaccine is unlikely to be available for several years, the need for an effective topical microbicide grows ever more urgent. 2004 should prove to be a landmark year in the field of microbicide development as the first Phase III trials of novel products are due to start – the next step along the road to making a microbicide available to the millions worldwide in desperate need of protection.The aims of the Microbicides 2004 conference are to:Report novel or innovative work in the microbicides fieldProvide updates on recent microbicides research, divided into three tracks: basic science, clinical science, and behavioural science (including public health and the microbicide marketplace)Provide a forum for the discussion of new developments in microbicide research including ethical, clinical, behavioural and methodological issuesPresent opportunities for knowledge-sharing between microbicide researchers, public-health workers and advocacy organisations.There will be an opening ceremony on the evening of Sunday 28 March at which politicians, policy makers and the international media are expected. The conference will run for a full three days, each of which will contain:Scientific overviews and presentations with plenary sessions, invited lecturers and presentations of original researchWorkshops to review issues unique to microbicides such as trial design and outcome measures, and ethical issues in the clinical trials of microbicidesPoster sessions. Focus on LondonFollowing the successful Microbicides conferences in Washington in 2000 and Antwerp in 2002, March 2004 sees the focus move to London.The venue is the Hilton Metropole Hotel, two minutes by taxi from Paddington station and the Heathrow Express, with a journey time from the airport of 15 minutes. The hotel is in walking distance of Hyde Park and London’s main shopping streets, and close to Imperial College. Accommodation will be available at the venue and other hotels in the vicinity.London in March offers a variety of diversions for out-of-conference relaxation, including sight-seeing and shopping; the arts and the theatre; and pubs, clubs and restaurants to suit every taste. Conference staff will be on hand to help delegates plan their spare time.To book your place or find out more information, e-mail info@microbicides2004.org.uk or telephone the Event Office on +44 (0) 20 7720 4411
Oral: invited speaker Oral: Track A Oral: Track B Oral: Track C Poster: Track A Poster: Track B Poster: Track C Abstract only Authors

02604 IMPACT OF CERVICOVAGINAL SECRETIONS ON HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS (HSV) INFECTION

John, Minnie1
Keller M2, Cheshenko N1, Hogarty K2, Wallenstein S3, Klotman M2, Herold B1
Departments of Pediatrics1, Medicine2 and Biostatistics3, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY

Cervicovaginal secretions have intrinsic antimicrobial activity, which may be important in protecting women against sexually transmitted infections (STI). Defining these innate factors and identifying how they protect against infection is essential for microbicide development because candidate topicals must not interfere with the innate protective activity and these factors could be exploited to facilitate the development of novel microbicides. The anti-HSV activity of cervicovaginal secretions is unknown. Objective: To evaluate the impact of cervicovaginal lavage (CVL) on HSV infection and explore the mechanism(s) of anti-viral activity. Results: CVL was obtained from 20 women (10 age 18-25 and 10 age 26-45) on two occasions 14 days apart and evaluated for anti-HSV activity. We found that CVL (pH ~ 5.0) inhibits HSV infection in all subjects. There was a geometric mean reduction of > 10-fold in HSV-2 recovered in cervical cells cultured in the presence of CVL compared to cells cultured in the presence of control buffer (saline, pH 5.0 + 0.2mg/ml BSA) (p < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in anti-HSV activity in samples obtained on Day 0 compared to Day 14 and between the two age groups. The CVL is active against clinical isolates of HSV-2 and using immortalized human endocervical cells. CVL appears to inhibit viral entry post-binding as evidenced by its ability to prevent nuclear transport of the viral tegument protein VP16, but not to block HSV-2 binding to cells. The anti-HSV activity is retained if cervical cells are pre-treated with CVL, washed, and then inoculated with HSV-2. In contrast, the activity is diminished if virus is first pre-treated with CVL, and diluted prior to inoculating cells. Conclusions: CVL has intrinsic anti-HSV activity, independent of pH, and may interact with the cell surface preventing subsequent viral entry. Candidate components for this anti-viral activity include defensins, SLPI, lactoferrin or mucins

Pediatric Infectious Disease Fellow, Minnie John, MD
Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L.Levy Place, Box 1657, New York, NY 10029
(Telephone) 212 241 5272 (Fax) 212 426 4813 (E-mail) minnie.john@mssm.edu