Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1986. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
|
|
United Press International - December 18, 1986
They also said the obscure HIV-2 virus, discovered this year in West African AIDS patients, was signficantly different from HIV-1, also called HTLV-3 and LAV-1, the virus identified as the primary cause of the deadly acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
"They are very, very different viruses but they both cause AIDS in humans," said a Pasteur spokesman, Caroline Chaine, in a telephone interview from Lille, France.
The Pasteur team, led by a top AIDS researcher, Luc Montagnier, reported their findings in the British science journal Nature.
Mr. Montagnier said through a spokesman that he was not sure of the significance of his discovery and that scientists still had a long way to go before determining the origin of the mysterious disease.
Miss Chaine said researchers suspected the two human AIDS viruses were different because a test to determine the presence of the HTLV-3 virus in humans did not indicate the presence of the HIV-2 virus.
"You must use separate tests," she said. "So we knew they were probably different viruses even though the disease is exactly the same."
But the cloning of the HIV-2 virus, accomplished two months ago, proves the molecular makeup of the two viruses are significantly different.
Miss Chaine said cloning had shown that HIV-2 was more closely related to a virus known to cause AIDS in macaque monkeys than the original HTLV-3 virus.
"But they are still different," she said of the human and monkey viruses. "It doesn't tell us very much."
861218
UP861206
Copyright © 1986 - United Press International. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through United Press International, Permissions Desk, 1510 H St. N.W. Washington DC 2005. Main Phone Switchboard: 202-898-8000 FAX: 202-898-8057 or 202-898-8147 Email: info@upi.com.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, 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Always watch for outdated information.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. .