About AIDS

We've been getting lots of questions lately: "What's this about a new kind of AIDS?" First, there is not a "new kind of AIDS." It's the same old AIDS that results from infection with a virus called HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. What's new is that French scientists working in the African country of Cameroon have identified a new strain of HIV that doesn't fit neatly into the existing HIV families.

There are 2 broad types of HIV widely spread in the human population: HIV-1, which we have in the U.S., and HIV-2, which is found along with HIV-1 in such places as sub-Saharan Africa and Thailand. HIV-1 has 2 major sub-groups: M (for Major strains, which is mostly what we have in the U.S.) and O (for Outer strains, which don't genetically match the M-types).

The newly discovered strain is a type of HIV-1, but is doesn't fit genetically with either groups M or O. Some researchers propose that it be called "N" for New. It was found in a Cameroonian woman with AIDS, plus in 3 stored blood samples from AIDS patients from 1988-97. In other words, it is very rare, but it makes an interesting piece of research. Most intriguingly, it is very similar to a strain of SIV, the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus, found in Cameroon's chimpanzee population.

As a practical matter, no one in Austin is at risk for this newly identified virus. As a scientific matter, though, the tests which are routinely used for HIV detection will in time need to be modified so they would identify HIV-1-N, too.

-- Sandy Bartlett, Community Information/Education Coordinator
AIDS Services of Austin

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ASA Info Line: 458-AIDS