Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1986. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - March 7, 1986
Evidence of infection with African swine fever virus was found in 9 of 21 American AIDS patients tested but in only 1 of 16 healthy Americans tested, according to a study to be published Saturday in The Lancet, a British medical journal.
The study challenges the belief that acquired immune deficiency syndrome is caused solely by the virus HTLV-III.
"I don't think we're trying to say that HTLV-III is out and A.S.F.V. is in" as the cause of AIDS, John Beldekas, a researcher at the Boston University School of Medicine and the principal author of the new study, said. "What we're saying is that AIDS is complicated. It can't be explained solely by HTLV-III."
Flossie Wong-Staal, a molecular biologist at the National Cancer Institute, where HTLV-III was discovered, said other viruses, including hepatitis B virus, had been found in AIDS patients.
Mr. Beldakas said the new study did not suggest that AIDS could be contracted by eating pork. One of his co-authors, Jane Teas, a former cancer researcher, suggested in a letter to The Lancet in 1983 that African swine fever virus might have some link to AIDS. She had learned that an epidemic of swine fever had occurred in Haiti about the same time that AIDS was discovered there.
860307
AP860302
Copyright © 1986 - Associated Press. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the AP Permissions Desk.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1986. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1986. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .