WASHINGTON, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Researchers at the University of Minnesota have identified a compound that, applied vaginally, can prevent transmission of the nonhuman primate version of HIV, called SIV.

    The discovery, which was published in the March 5 issue of the journal Nature, raises hopes of new treatment in the future to block HIV transmission in humans.

    The Minnesota research team focused on a compound called glycerol monolaurate (GML), a widely-used ingredient in some foods and cosmetics.

    In the study, two weeks after being exposed to SIV, five monkeys treated with a gel containing GML showed no signs of the virus spreading. By comparison, four of five monkeys that did not receive the GML gel were infected with SIV.

    The compound may act by suppressing a counterproductive immune response that helps the virus rather than fights it, the researchers explained.

    The GML compound could lead to a novel and cost-effective way to prevent HIV, even other sexually transmitted infections in women, said Dr. Ashley Haase, the lead researcher.

    But he cautioned that their study was small and only tried in animals. More work was needed before human trials could take place.