When was HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) discovered
and how is it diagnosed?
In 1981, homosexual men with symptoms that now are considered diagnostic of AIDS
were first described in Los Angeles and New York. The men had an unusual type of
lung infection (pneumonia) called Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) and rare
skin tumors called Kaposi’s sarcoma.
The patients were noted to have severe suppression of a specific type of immune
blood cells, called CD4 cells. These cells, often referred to as T cells, help
the body fight infections. Shortly thereafter, this disease was recognized
throughout the United States, Western Europe, and Africa. In 1983, researchers
in the United States and France described the virus that causes AIDS, now known
as HIV. In 1985, a blood test became available that measures antibodies to HIV,
which thereby detects the body’s immune response to the HIV. This blood test
remains the best method for diagnosing HIV infection. Recently, tests have
become available to look for these same antibodies in the saliva and urine.
How is HIV spread (transmitted)?
HIV is present in the blood and genital secretions of virtually all infected
individuals, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms. The spread of HIV
can occur when these secretions come in contact with tissues such as those
lining the vagina, anal area, mouth, or eyes (the mucosal membranes), or with a
break in the skin, such as from a cut or puncture by a needle. The most common
ways in which HIV is spreading throughout the world include sexual contact,
needle sharing, and transmission from infected mothers to their newborns during
pregnancy, labor (the delivery process), or breast- feeding.
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