The New York Times - December 19, 1985
Erik Eckholm

Not only was the AIDS virus rare in saliva, but in the one case where it was found the amount of virus was "ten thousandfold lower" than in the same man's blood, according to the senior author of the new report, Dr. David D. Ho of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

The virus believed to cause AIDS, an incurable affliction that has struck 15,581 Americans, has been known to spread only through intimate sexual relations or direct transfers of blood.

Worry on Saliva and Tears

Earlier reports that the virus could be present in saliva and tears spurred public concern about possible hazards of mingling with infected people. Fear about the danger from saliva has been cited by parents objecting to the presence of children with AIDS in schools and by actors in Hollywood, who have asserted a right to reject roles involving deep kissing.

Federal experts said the new report, being published today in The New England Journal of Medicine, was consistent with epidemiological evidence. "Transmission of the virus by saliva has not been documented," said Dr. Harold Jaffe, chief of epidemiology at the Federal Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

But Dr. Jaffe said that since the AIDS virus was sometimes found in saliva, the centers had recommended against kissing that involves the exchange of saliva with those at high risk of AIDS infection, such as homosexual men and intravenous drug users.

Contacts Termed Safe

"We don't have any evidence that transmission has occurred through intimate kissing, but we don't feel it would be wise to say it's safe," Dr. Jaffe said.

Dr. Jaffe distinguished kissing involving salivary exchange from more casual contacts such as light kissing, touching and simply being in close proximity with an infected person. "Very strong evidence" including studies of family members of AIDS victims, none of whom have become infected, indicates that such contacts are safe, he said.

Last October a study published in the journal Science reported finding the AIDS virus in the saliva of 8 of 18 infected homosexual men, most of whom had developed AIDS or related disease symptoms. The principal author of that report, Dr. Jerome E. Groopman of New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston, said it was unclear why the two studies showed such different results. But whether the saliva of infected individuals contains the virus rarely or frequently, he said, "the evidence still shows that saliva has not been an avenue of disease transmission."

The threat of AIDS infection by saliva as well as by blood has alarmed dentists and oral surgeons in New York and other cities where AIDS is prevalent. With increasing frequency, men perceived to be homosexuals or drug addicts are being refused dental care, according to Robert Cecchi of the Gay Men's Health Crisis in New York.

Mr. Cecchi noted that protective measures were available, including the wearing of gloves, masks and eyeglasses and the sterilization of instruments. Such procedures have already been recommended to prevent the spread through blood of hepatitis-B, which is more prevalent than AIDS and is known to be far more contagious.

Dental Society Is Concerned

Mitchell Kuhn, executive director of the Dental Society of Manhattan, said the association was concerned about the problem and was studying AIDS risks and measures to counter them.

Dr. Jaffe, the Federal expert, said he knew of no case in which a dentist had become infected with the AIDS virus through his work but that precautions were in order. He said guidelines for safe dentistry would probably be issued next month.

Last August, after the isolation of the AIDS virus in the tears of one patient, the Centers for Disease Control developed recommendations for eye doctors. Health workers coming into contact with tears are urged to wash their hands immediately after the procedure as well as between patients and to wear gloves if they have open cuts on their hands. Instruments should be disinfected with a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide, household bleach or certain other chemicals, while contact lenses used in trial fittings should likewise be cleansed with hydrogen peroxide or a heat treatment. >----Condoms Found Effective SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 18 (AP) -Tests have proved that the use of condoms in sexual activity can help prevent the spread of the AIDS virus, according to researchers at the University of California at San Francisco medical school.

Dr. Jay A. Levy, a virologist, said he had tested five condoms by filling them with a fluid containing a high concentration of the AIDS virus and then waiting to see if the infectious organisms would pass through them. Even after three weeks there was no sign that any of the virus had passed through three types of latex membranes, Dr. Levy and the other researchers said.

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