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A group of UWindsor researchers will test failure rates in condoms in order to help stop the spread of sexually transmitted infections.
The team, which includes sociology professor Eleanor Maticka-Tyndale and nursing professors Maher El-Masri, Susan Fox and Deborah Kane, will recruit 100 male students and employees at the University to donate used condoms, which will be examined for microscopic holes.
Since condoms are the primary protection against sexually transmitted infections, durability is of paramount importance from a public health perspective, said Dr. Maticka-Tyndale, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Social Justice and Sexual Health. Stress during condom use may create holes just large enough for viral agents such as HIV to pass through. Previous failure testing was conducted in simulation laboratories, she said.
"We suspect the actual failure rate may be much higher than in lab simulations."
Dr. El-Masri and his nursing colleagues will oversee the study protocol. They will fill washed condoms with a harmless virus and suspend them in a neutral solution, then test the suspension for the presence of the virus. Because they will use a virus larger than HIV, a positive result will indicate HIV may be transmitted under similar conditions.
Each participant will receive a supply of condoms, safe containers in which to return them and a brief set of surveys. They will be asked to return 10 used condoms and 10 unused condoms over a three-month period to one of three designated locations on campus. The identities of the participants will be kept confidential.
Maticka-Tyndale said the study is a pilot project and will lay the groundwork for a much larger project to compare different brands and types of condoms.
Photo: Sociologist Eleanor Maticka-Tyndale posts a notice recruiting volunteers for a study into the failure rate of condoms.
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