Doctors say the case, detailed¹ in a medical journal, has revealed a new form of transmission for the virus.

 

However the researchers warned that transmission through shared manicure equipment is a 'very rare event' and the risks of infection from new sources are still very low.

 

When diagnosed, the woman was found to have advanced HIV, according to the report in the journal AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses.

 

But she had none of the usual risk factors for acquiring the virus, which is most commonly caught by having sex without a condom.

 

It can also be passed on by sharing infected needles and other injecting equipment, and from an HIV-positive mother to her child during pregnancy², birth and breastfeeding.

 

However, the woman did report having shared manicure instruments years before with a cousin who was later found to be HIV-positive.

 

Blood analysis suggested the woman contracted the virus around ten years ago.

 

Further genetic³ analysis of the viruses from both patients suggested it came from a common ancestor, indicating the possibility HIV was transmitted through the manicure instruments.

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