Word: viruses
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...larger threat to the general public could be the rising number of prostitutes exposed to the AIDS virus, many of whom are infected through drug abuse. Though much has been made of the role of anal intercourse in the transmission of AIDS among homosexuals, the AIDS virus is almost certainly spread through vaginal intercourse as well. The vulnerability of prostitutes raises the specter of a major new source of contagion...
...nine newborns infected with AIDS and found that none of the foster mothers or siblings showed any signs of infection. Other research presented in Atlanta offered an intriguing clue to the mystery of how AIDS began. Dr. Myron Essex of the Harvard School of Public Health believes that the virus may have originated in a species known as the African green monkey and spread to humans only in recent decades. Essex has found that about 70% of African greens studied by his lab show signs of infection with a virus closely related to that which causes AIDS in humans...
...green monkey may be more than a clue to AIDS' past, says Essex; it may hold a key to future treatment. Despite evidence of infection with an AlDS-like virus, the monkeys are perfectly healthy. This is not true of rhesus monkeys, which develop AlDS-like symptoms when infected. Says Essex: "The African greens may have evolved a mechanism to control the virus." This mechanism of immunity, once understood, could help scientists in their all-out battle, particularly in the search for a vaccine. Nonetheless, most researchers believe that AIDS will remain a threat for decades. Says Peter Fischinger...
...everyone exposed to the AIDS virus has contracted the disease. Some have developed a flu-like condition known as ARC (AIDS-related complex), which may or may not progress to the more lethal syndrome. Others have so far displayed no symptoms at all but remain capable of spreading the contagion...
...anyone stricken with a full-blown case of AIDS, the prospects are grim. The virus directly attacks a group of white blood cells called helper T cells, which serve as one of the main coordinators of the immune system. As the disease progresses, these defensive cells are almost entirely destroyed. The immune system collapses, and victims fall prey to one infection after another. Ordinarily mild diseases become dangerous, even fatal, and many patients develop rare cancers, severe neurological disorders and brain damage...