Kenyan women are more biologically susceptible to HIV, according to a study published in the journal AIDS and reported by PlusNews. The study compared CD4 cells from cervical samples of Kenyan women with those of women from San Francisco. Researchers found that Kenyan women had more activated CD4 cells. Previous studies have shown these activated CD4s may be critical in allowing the virus to replicate locally before it spreads throughout the body. The African women also had lower levels of a protein that can protect against HIV, and they had higher levels of CD4s that allow HIV to attach and replicate.

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