Wounded.Bird@f38.n135.z1.fidonet.org (Wounded Bird) (08/21/90)
Here is a quote from the National Academy of Science's publication "Mobilizing
Against AIDS". The problem is just not as simple as anyone imagined.
"...Research scientists, physicians, and HIV infected patients recognize that
AZT is not the solution to the AIDS problem - it prolongs the lives of some
patients but is too toxic for others. Many different drugs will be needed to
combat the diverse effects of the very complex virus responsible for AIDS."
"HIV integrates itself into the genome of an infected cell. Before the
discovery that the virus _replicates_ in cells in the brain, skin, colon, and
cervix, as well as in T lymphocytes and macrophages, some researchers believed
it might be possible to eradicate the disease by destroying all infected cells
in the body. But this strategy no longer seems feasible. The most practical
goal appears to be to supress viral replication and prevent the infection of
healthy cells."
The book also indicates that recent research findings support very long term
periods of infection prior to indications of seroconversion because not all
infected cells are capable of producing antibodies. Other tests must be used
to determine infection by the virus. Detection of antibodies alone is just not
accurate enough.
And on heterosexual transmission it states:
"Many of the early reports about homosexual and heterosexual transmission of
HIV concluded with the speculation that transmission probably occurred when
vrius in infected seminal fluid entered the bloodstream through small tears in
the lining of the rectum or vagina. But recent evidence indicates that direct
access to the bloodstream probably is not necessary for sexual transmission.
The virus can infect local tissues in the rectum and the female reproductive
tract.".......
"The probable source of HIV infection in cervical secretions is infected
cervical tissue. In March 1988, Roger Pomerantz of Massachusetts General
Hospital and his colleagues reported that they isolated HIV from cervical
specimens obtained from 4 seropositive women. The cells most often infected
were monocyte/macrophages and endothelial cells."
"In male-to-female transmission of HIV, contact with infected semen could
lead to local infection of susceptible cervical cell; replication of the virus
in those cells might precede systemic infection with HIV. Female-to-male
transmission probably results from the sloughing of infected cervical cells
into cervical and vaginal fluids."
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Uucp: ...{gatech,ames,rutgers}!ncar!asuvax!stjhmc!135!38!Wounded.Bird
Internet: Wounded.Bird@f38.n135.z1.fidonet.orgjfh@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Jack Hamilton) (08/22/90)
In article <38221@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> Wounded.Bird@f38.n135.z1.fidonet.org (Wounded Bird) writes: >The book also indicates that recent research findings support very long term >periods of infection prior to indications of seroconversion because not all >infected cells are capable of producing antibodies. Other tests must be used >to determine infection by the virus. Detection of antibodies alone is just not >accurate enough. Well, that's certainly bad news, although not necessarily surprising. There have been hints of that before. Would there be any way other than a biopsy to detect infection in such a case? I guess not, unless one of the cells happens to float off and into the blood sample used for a PCR. -- Because of mail/disk problems at Netcom, I have adopted the policy of responding in some way to all non-listserv/non-acknowledgement email. If you don't hear from me, I didn't get it. Jack Hamilton jfh@netcom.uucp or claris!netcom!jfh