Background:ThecolostrumofHIV-infectedmotherscontainsahighnumberofHIVcopiesandisconsideredhighlyinfectious.Furthermoreitcontainslargenumbersofmacrophageandothermononuclearcellsthatareknowntoincorporatevirus.WhilepreventionprotocolsinWesterncountriessuggesttheinterruptionofbreastfeeding,atleastforthefirstfewmonthsoflife,thispractice is not advisable in developing countries. Methodology:TheaimofthisstudywastodeterminetheHIVloadandtheconcentrationsofIL-18,IL-16,IL-12,TGF-beta1andTGF-beta2inthecolostrumofHIV-infectedmotherslivinginBurkinaFaso.Thewomenallreceivednevirapineprophylaxisduring labour. Results: The viral load in the colostrum decreased rapidly during the first three days following delivery, while the concentration of IL-18andIL-16increasedinthesameperiod.IL-12,TGF-beta1andTGF-beta2didnotshowsignificantvariationsinthefirstthree days after delivery. Conclusions:Sincetheviralloaddecreasesinthecolostrumofnevirapine-treatedexpectantmothers,ourdatasuggestsingledose nevirapine combined with interruption of early feeding may have potential as a way to reduce the risk of MTCT.Key Words: HIV, colostrum, Burkina Faso

HIV, colostrum, Burkina Faso, viral load, cytokines, IL-18, IL-16, IL-12, TGF-beta1, TGF-beta2, mother-to-child transmission (MTCT)