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As the AIDS epidemic unfolds, it is becoming apparent that some of the mechanisms of sexual transmission of HIV are not yet fully understood. As a consequence, potential preventive measures are still imperfectly defined. This arti-cle reviews the role of classic sexually transmitted diseases (STD) as cofactors in sexual transmission of HIV. We be-lieve that this information answers some of the epidemiological enigmas of HIV transmission. As a corollary, we propose that STD control should urgently become integrated into the'global strategy'against AIDS. In the USA and Europe, heterosexual intercourse seems to be a relatively inefficient way of transmitting HIV. Seropositivity rates among spouses of HIV-infected people have usually been lower in Western countries| 1, 2] than in Africa| 3, 4], although differences in the stage of HIV infection in the index case could explain part of this discrepancy, as shown in recent …