ABSTRACT
Our gaps in knowledge about the acquired immunodeficiency syndrom (AIDS) epidemic and the role of prostitution in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission make it unwise to assume that we are sufficiently informed about "the oldest profession" as it is practiced in our inner cities today. The high-risk behaviors involved in the sale of recreational sex, and the use of intravenous (IV) drugs (as both cause and consequence of prostitution) need to be studied further if we are to develop effective prevention strategies. These behaviors require research "in the field," both at the level of the individual and the "community" as defined by its cultures of drug use and prostitution.
