Mutant Gene Not Sole Explanation For Hiv Non-P...( A recently descri...)

A recently described genetic mutation does not fully explain why a small proportion of people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remain completely well for a decade or more, according to investigators at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Instead, the researchers say, the good health of such "long-term nonprogressors" probably is due to multiple factors, which may vary from individual to individual.

Oren Cohen, M.D., a medical officer in NIAID's Laboratory of Immunoregulation (LIR); LIR Lab Chief and NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.; and their colleagues report their findings in the Sept. 15, 1997 issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation. The study involved 33 patients from LIR's cohort of long-term nonprogressors, the NIAID-supported Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, and the San Francisco City Clinic Cohort.

"This study fortifies the concept that HIV long-term nonprogressors represent a diverse group," says Dr. Fauci. "Multiple immune system factors, genetic and other host factors, and viral factors contribute to the clinical profiles of these patients, who usually have preserved immune function and low levels of HIV in their bodies."

Recent research has shown that most infecting strains of HIV us
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Contact: Greg Folkers
gfolkers@nih.gov
301-402-1663
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
15-Sep-1997