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Text File | 1996-02-05 | 11KB | 193 lines

                     AIDS Daily Summary
                      January 31, 1996

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS
Clearinghouse makes available the following information as a public
service only. Providing this information does not constitute endorsement
by the CDC, the CDC Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction
of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC
Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information.
Copyright 1995, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD


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"Infected With Human Virus, a Chimpanzee Develops AIDS"
"Better Gauge of AIDS Virus Reported"
"AIDS Drug Is Reported to Reduce Virus Levels"
"Ethiopia Questions Israel On Blood-Bank Dispute"
"For HIV-Positive, A New Dread"
"Scientists Say Milk-Based Compound Stops HIV Spread"
"Researchers Say Drug Combination Fights HIV Virus"
"Bill Would Legalize Prescribed Marijuana"
"Hepatitis A Among Persons with Hemophilia Who Received Clotting
Factor Concentrate--United States, September-December 1995"
"Responding to AIDS"
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"Infected With Human Virus, a Chimpanzee Develops AIDS"
New York Times (01/31/96) P. A14;  Altman, Lawrence K.
     More than ten years after it was injected with HIV-1, a
chimpanzee developed AIDS, scientists said Tuesday.  A second,
healthy chimpanzee developed the disease within months, however,
when given some of the blood from the infected animal.  This
suggests that the virus mutated while in the first chimp to
become more potent.  Dr. Francis J. Novembre of the Yerkes
Regional Primate Research Center at Emory University in Atlanta
reported the findings at a scientific meeting Tuesday.  Although
more than 100 chimpanzees have been given the virus, only these
two have developed AIDS thus far.  The researchers will do
additional studies to determine whether the disease developed
because of an odd strain of the virus or because it takes a long
time for chimpanzees to develop AIDS.  Knowing that chimps can
develop AIDS may help scientists develop an AIDS vaccine.
Related Stories: Washington Post (01/31/96) P.A3; Washington
Times (01/31/96) P.A3; Philadelphia Inquirer (01/31/96) P. A6

"Better Gauge of AIDS Virus Reported"
Washington Post (01/31/96) P. A3;  Brown, David
     A measurement of the amount of HIV in a person's blood is a much
better predictor of how the virus will impact the patient's
health than the CD4, or immune cell count currently used,
researchers said Tuesday.  Counting the number of virus RNA
strands, which contain the genes of each individual HIV, is a
direct measurement of the viral load.  The CD4 count assesses the
body's defense, and is not as direct or consistent in predicting
the body's future reaction to the virus.  Scott Hammer of the New
England Deaconess Hospital studied 391 HIV-infected individuals
and concluded that viral RNA "was more predictive of outcome
[specifically, AIDS and death] than CD4 count."  In a second
study, John Mellors of the University of Pittsburgh found that
the viral RNA measurement is as good a predictor of the long-term
outcome as are the tests to predict disease progression and
survival in people with colon cancer and lymph node cancer.
Related Stories: New York Times (01/31/96) P. A14; USA Today
(01/31/96) P. D1

"AIDS Drug Is Reported to Reduce Virus Levels"
Wall Street Journal (01/31/96) P. B2
     An experimental AIDS drug called Viracept can dramatically reduce
the level of HIV in the blood, Agouron Pharmaceuticals Inc.
reports.  Agouron is the manufacturer of the protease inhibitor.
In 20 patients participating in a 4-week trial, Viracept was
found to reduce virus levels by about 99 percent when used with
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s d4T.  Abbott Laboratories and Merck &
Co. also reported this week that their protease inhibitors could
eliminate detectable levels of HIV when used in combination with
AZT and 3TC, two drugs made by Glaxo Wellcome PLC.

"Ethiopia Questions Israel On Blood-Bank Dispute"
Washington Post (01/31/96) P. A12
     Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin has asked Israeli
Ambassador Avi Granot for an explanation of the
recently-disclosed policy that Israeli blood banks discard blood
donated by immigrant Ethiopians Jews, for fear of HIV
contamination.  A riot erupted Sunday in Jerusalem after the
Ethiopian immigrants learned of the policy, which they criticize
as racist.  The backlash could strain Israel's relations with a
number of African countries, Granot said.  He added that he was
embarrassed by the dumping of the blood, and noted that the
policy was made, not by Prime Minister Shimon Peres' government,
but "was an arbitrary decision by the blood banks."

"For HIV-Positive, A New Dread"
Philadelphia Inquirer (01/31/96) P. A1;  Ruane, Michael E.
     The Defense authorization bill that President Clinton is expected
to sign today includes a provision that would force all
HIV-positive members of the military to be discharged within six
months of the law's enactment.  Rep. Robert Dornan (R-Calif.)
sponsored the bill, saying that people with HIV in the military
cannot be deployed, and therefore should not be allowed to serve.
An added blow to those who would be discharged is the provision
that would take away medical benefits for the members'
dependents, who are often infected as well.  The service members
would also lose potential retirement disability pay.  Current
military policy states that HIV-infected personnel can serve as
long as they are healthy enough to do their job, and discharges
them with disability benefits, if necessary.

"Scientists Say Milk-Based Compound Stops HIV Spread"
Reuters (01/30/96);  Jacobsen, Richard
     Researchers at the New York Blood Center announced on Tuesday
that they had discovered a compound derived from cow's milk that
apparently prevents the transmission of HIV.  Findings, to be
published in the journal Nature Medicine, indicate that B69--a
chemically modified version of a milk protein--binds to receptor
sites on CD4 cells, thereby blocking HIV from binding with the
cells.  The scientists speculate that B69 could eventually be
formulated into a foam or cream capable of providing a barrier
against HIV infection during sexual intercourse, and--since the
compound is inexpensive and readily available--could be
especially helpful in preventing HIV transmission in lesser
developed countries.  John Adamson, president of the New York
Blood Center, said the center had filed for patents for B69 and
was searching for corporate partners to collaborate on further
research.

"Researchers Say Drug Combination Fights HIV Virus"
Reuters (01/30/96)
     Scientists at the University of Texas reported Tuesday that
interim trial results revealed that a combination of Zerit
(stavudine, d4T) and Videx (ddI, didanosine) was effective in
fighting HIV.  The trials were funded by Bristol-Myers Squibb,
the maker of both drugs.  According to lead researcher Richard
Pollard, the combination substantially reduced viral load for a
prolonged period of time and increased the number of CD4 cells
for as long as one year.  Pollard further noted that although it
is too soon to predict what the new therapy will mean for patient
survival, the early results suggested that the combination
offered prolonged results in fighting HIV.

"Bill Would Legalize Prescribed Marijuana"
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (01/30/96) P. 2B;  Charton, Scott
     A bill being considered in Missouri would make the possession of
small amounts of marijuana legal if prescribed by a licensed
practitioner.  Under the bill, a practitioner prescribing the
drug would have to certify in writing that the patient is under
care,  that the patient "needs marijuana as part of a therapeutic
regimen," and the amount of marijuana possessed would have to be
less than 70 grams to avoid prosecution.  A Highway Patrol drug
expert who testified against the bill said the allowable amount
would hamper drug enforcement.

"Hepatitis A Among Persons with Hemophilia Who Received Clotting
Factor Concentrate--United States, September-December 1995"
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (01/19/96) Vol.45, No.2, P.
29
     For the first time in the United States, transmission of
hepatitis A has been linked to the receipt of clotting factor
concentrate.  The virus was documented in three hemophiliacs who
received Alphanate factor VIII concentrate between September and
November 1995.  In addition, a case involving one person who
received AlphaNine S-D factor IX concentrate is being
investigated.  The lots of both factors were withdrawn from the
market.  The three patients who used the factor VIII concentrate
used the same lot and the virus found in that lot was genetically
matched to the virus found in the patients.  Furthermore, the
cases occurred in geographically dispersed areas, supporting the
conclusion that the factor was the source of infection.  The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is still
investigating these cases, seeks assistance in identifying
additional cases.

"Responding to AIDS"
Science (01/05/96) Vol.271, No.5245, P. 38;  Beauch, Dan E.
     Reviewer Dan Beauch of the Department of Health Policy Management
at State University of New York, says "AIDS and the Public
Debate"--a series of essays by public officials, researchers, and
others involved in the early part of the AIDS epidemic--offers a
glimpse into this exciting period from the public health
official's point of view.  The volume includes contributions from
C. Everett Koop, the U.S. Surgeon General under President Reagan;
Anthony Fauci of the National Cancer Institute; James Curran, an
epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
when the epidemic began; and Mark Smith of the Kaiser Foundation,
who was an intern and resident in San Francisco when the first
cases of AIDS were identified.  Other writers address such issues
as increased funding in the National Institutes of Health for
AIDS, how AIDS affected clinical trials, and the publishing of
early AIDS research.  Beauch claims that statements from
officials in New York and California are lacking, as are those
from the clinicians who dealt with AIDS in the early years.  He
also points out that AIDS activists are not represented.