Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1987. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press; Friday, 8 May 1987
The microbe, HIV-2, also could raise questions about the accuracy of AIDS tests.
HIV-2, discovered in 1984, genetically resembles HIV-1, the virus that causes AIDS found in the United States, and SIV, the virus that causes an AIDS-like disease in monkeys.
In Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, doctors from the Pasteur Institute in Paris reported that HIV-2 can cause acquired immune deficiency syndrome indistinguishable from that triggered by HIV-1.
Although it seems to be localized in West Africa, Dr. Francois Clavel said that "there is no reason why this epidemic would not spread over Africa or Europe or other countries like HIV-1 did, unless we are very vigilant and can detect carriers."
Earlier, Pasteur researchers reported finding HIV-2 in two AIDS patients. Clavel said the latest study, documenting HIV-2 infection in 30 people, provides strong evidence that the virus actually causes the disease.
The two viruses appear to attack the body in similar ways. Clavel said that, while some parts of HIV-1 and HIV-2 are genetically alike, others are different, and the overall genetic similarity is about 40 percent.
What this means for finding an AIDS vaccine is unclear. Clavel said drug manufacturers may be able to base a vaccine on parts of the two viruses that are identical, so one vaccine would block both AIDS viruses. But Dr. Norman Letvin of the New England Regional Primate Research Center, an expert on the monkey AIDS virus, said he fears that people vaccinated against HIV-1 will remain susceptible to HIV-2.
The French researchers wrote that "it appears clear the HIV-2, a virus related to but distinct from HIV-1, is the cause of AIDS in some West Africans and that a new AIDS epidemic is possible (but not yet documented) in West Africa."
Clavel said the standard screening test used to check blood for AIDS often will miss the HIV-2 virus, so the tests, at least when used in Africa, should be modified.
Clavel is temporarily working at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., on a fellowship.
870508
AP870502
Copyright © 1987 - 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 1987. 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, 1987. 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. .