Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1988. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Chicago Tribune (CT) - FRIDAY May 6, 1988 Edition: SPORTS FINAL Section: NEWS Page: 12 Word Count: 360
Jon Van, Science writer
The researchers found that saliva inhibits the AIDS virus from infecting human cells. They are now looking for the component of saliva that blocks infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the AIDS virus.
Finding this component could help in designing treatment for AIDS patients, said Dr. Philip Fox of the National Institute of Dental Research where the research was done.
Fox and his colleagues took saliva directly from the salivary glands of three healthy men and collected whole saliva from their mouths. In laboratory dishes the scientists added samples of the AIDS virus and white blood cells that these viruses commonly invade.
The researchers found the virus was unable to infect the white blood cells in the presence of whole saliva. Also, saliva from two of three glands sampled also blocked infection.
"The discovery of a protective factor in saliva is reassuring," said Fox, "because it provides a biological explanation for why the mouth is not a route of transmission."
This study supports research done two years ago that found saliva taken from a chimpanzee and from a human could inactivate the AIDS virus.
By taking saliva directly from different glands, the latest study suggests that it is something within the saliva itself rather than its general acidity that works against HIV infection, the researchers said.
Whole saliva contains bacteria, blood cells and several other substances not found in saliva taken directly from salivary glands. "Our preliminary work has shown that major salivary glands produce a factor or factors capable of inhibiting HIV infection," Fox said.
The next phase of the study will be to sample saliva from different groups of people, including healthy children, women and men with AIDS to see if reactions in test conditions are the same as those seen in saliva from healthy men.
The research should reassure dentists that the risks of becoming infected by treating AIDS patients are very slight, said the scientists.
Working with Fox on the research are Drs. Bruce Baum, Andy Wolff, Chih-Ko Yeh and Jane Atkinson.
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