Vaginal pH neutralization by semen as a cofactor of HIV transmission Jean-Pierre Bouvet, Gerard Grésenguet, Laurent Bélec  Clinical Microbiology and Infection  Volume 3, Issue 1, Pages 19-23 (February 1997) DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.1997.tb00246.x Copyright © 1997 European Society of Clinical Infectious Diseases Terms and Conditions

Fig. 1 Different pH values of vaginal washes from subjects with high levels of semen markers (group I) and from semen-free subjects (group II). Boxes include interquartiles. Arrows point to the median values. Clinical Microbiology and Infection 1997 3, 19-23DOI: (10.1111/j.1469-0691.1997.tb00246.x) Copyright © 1997 European Society of Clinical Infectious Diseases Terms and Conditions

Fig. 2 Neutralization curve of vaginal fluid by seminal plasma. Increasing volumes (log scale) of a pool of selected seminal plasma samples, 10-fold diluted in distilled water, were added to 1 volume of a pool of selected semen-free vaginal washes (corresponding to an approximate 10-fold dilution of the cervicovaginal fluid). The pH of the mixture rapidly shifted to neutrality when the amount of seminal plasma exceeded 0.1 volume. Clinical Microbiology and Infection 1997 3, 19-23DOI: (10.1111/j.1469-0691.1997.tb00246.x) Copyright © 1997 European Society of Clinical Infectious Diseases Terms and Conditions