From: Billi Goldberg <bigoldberg@igc.apc.org>
Subject: CDC Summary 12/18/92
Note: Copyright 1992, Dan R. Greening. Non-commercial reproduction allowed.
Archive-Number: 6654
Organization: unspecified
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 92 09:30:28 PST

                           AIDS Daily Summary
                           December 18, 1992 
 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. Copyright 1992, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD 

 "Simian Tests Raise AIDS-Vaccine Hope" New York Times (12/18/92), P. 
A30  (Altman, Lawrence K.)
     An experimental vaccine has completely protected six rhesus monkeys 
against the simian form of HIV infection for more than three years, 
making it the strongest and longest lasting of any AIDS-related vaccine, 
according to a report published in today's issue of Science.  The 
research was led by Dr. Ronald C. Desrosiers of the New England Regional 
Primate Research Center in Southborough, Mass.  Federal health officials 
who funded the experiments considered the finding "a significant 
advance" in the search for a human vaccine to protect against HIV.  The 
monkey vaccine contains live simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), the 
virus that causes an AIDS-like disease in monkeys, from which a key gene 
was removed.  The research involved the deletion of a gene known as nef 
from SIV and then injecting the virus in the monkeys.  The function of 
the nef gene is unknown.  When nef-deleted SIV is used in test tube 
experiments, the virus reproduces and harms cells.  But Desrosiers said 
he was surprised to find that injection of the nef-deleted SIV did not 
harm the monkeys.  The research led him to question whether nef-deleted 
SIV could be used as a vaccine.  He began the research by injecting nef-
deleted SIV into six monkeys who stayed healthy after two and a quarter 
years.  Dr. Desrosiers said that the new findings could lead to the 
first safety tests of such a vaccine on human volunteers in two years.  
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and 
Infectious Diseases, said scientists at his institute are "extremely 
enthusiastic about the possibilities" of Dr. Desrosiers' findings. 
Related Stories: Washington Post (12/18) P. A1; USA Today (12/18) P. 1A; 
Philadelphia Inquirer (12/18) P. A1; Los Angeles Times--Washington 
Edition (12/18) P. A1; Baltimore Sun (12/18) P. 1A; Washington Times 
(12/18) P. A8 

"Herman, the Biotech Bull, May Sire a New Drug Era" Reuters (12/17/92)
     Amsterdam--The Dutch parliament approved a measure Thursday, 
permitting the world's first genetically engineered bull to reproduce.  
According to researchers, the decision has important implications for 
the search for new drugs to fight diseases like AIDS.  The 18-month-old 
bull, Herman, was conceived in a test tube and handled with kid gloves 
on a Dutch farm since his birth. Despite his ordinary looks, he has an 
extra gene in his chromosomes, modified from human material.  The gene 
carries codes that will produce a human milk protein in his female 
offspring.  The company which created Herman is Leiden-based Gene 
Pharming Europe BV.  It plans on artificially inseminating 60 cows with 
Herman's sperm.  The researchers believe the protein, lactoferrin, will 
be the first in a new generation of inexpensive, high-tech drugs derived 
from cows' milk to treat complex diseases like AIDS and cancer.  Now 
that Herman has received approval to reproduce, the first generation of 
so-called "transgenic' cows could be producing lactoferrin by mid-1995, 
although the substance will probably not be commercially available until 
at least 1997. 

"Many High School Students Sexually Active, Surveys Show" United Press 
International (12/18/92)  (Taylor, Charles S.)
     Atlanta--A striking percentage of American high school students are 
sexually active and many are not routinely using condoms, emphasizing 
the need for more safe sex education, said federal health officials.  
The Centers for Disease Control said two national surveys were conducted 
that revealed that 54 percent of high school students had had sexual 
intercourse at least once in their lives, and 69 percent of those 
students are currently sexually active.  One survey involved 12,272 
students in grades nine through 12 in all 50 states and the District of 
Columbia and another survey conducted by departments of education in 23 
states and 10 cities.  The CDC said that 19 percent of those who had had 
sex reported having had sex with four or more partners during their 
lifetime.  Also, 83 percent of students said they or their partners used 
at least some type of contraception, such as birth control pills, 
condoms or withdrawal, said the CDC.  However, only 46 percent said they 
or their partner used a condom the last time they had sex.  Lloyd J. 
Kolbe of the CDC's division of adolescent and school health, said health 
officials are "very concerned" that less than 50 percent of the sexually 
active respondents are using condoms.  "Using contraceptives by 
themselves (other than condoms) is not going to reduce the risk of HIV 
infection," he said.  The surveys demonstrated that few, if any, of the 
schools surveyed had achieved national objectives of reducing the 
proportion of adolescents engaging in sexual intercourse or increasing 
the number using condoms.

"Shortage Reported of Drug for AIDS Patients" United Press International 
(12/17/92)
     Atlanta--The Centers for Disease Control revealed Thursday that 
there is a shortage of a drug used to treat toxoplasmosis in AIDS 
patients.  Between Dec. 6 and Dec. 12, the CDC received telephone calls 
from pharmacies across the nation requesting sulfadiazine-
trisulfapyrimidine, or triple sulfa.  The drug is commonly used with 
another drug called pyrimethamine to treat AIDS patients co-infected 
with toxoplasmosis, which affects the central nervous system.  The CDC 
said the only firm licensed to produce the drug ceased operation in 
October.  Consequently, the Food and Drug Administration is contacting 
drug companies to try to restore supplies quickly.  Physicians should 
consider using a drug called clindamycin with pyrimethamine to treat 
acute toxoplasmosis until a commercial source is available, said the 
CDC.  The agency said in the meantime it has acquired a small supply of 
sulfadiazine--triple sulfa that will be provided to people with acute 
disease who cannot tolerate clindamycin. 

"'Life' Confronts AIDS" USA Today (12/18/92), P. 3D  (Roush, Matt)
     The ABC television program "Life Goes On," which features an HIV-
positive character who is expected to develop AIDS, may be discontinued.  
Jesse McKenna (Chad Lowe) will develop AIDS in a four-episode story once 
scheduled for February.  Michael Nankin said the AIDS arc is "the story 
the writing staff has champed at the bit to do," but it won't air on 
schedule.  Although the schedule of the program is changing, creator 
Michael Braverman said, "They have promised to keep the AIDS arc intact.  
Even if only two people can watch."  Jesse's story is based in part on 
the experience of Rod Garcia, a young HIV-infected man who has been 
advising the producers.  Nankin said, "He pulled the tubes out of his 
body, went home from the hospital and has been healthy ever since.  His 
story is one of a guy who took charge of his disease."  Nankin added 
that Garcia discovered a holistic, macrobiotic approach.  "His three-
year anniversary is coming soon.  He still has AIDS, but is symptom-
free" said Nankin. Life's medical adviser from UCLA has warned that 
Garcia's evidence is anecdotal.  "Rod Garcia is in a way a hero, and we 
wanted Jesse to be a hero in the same way....  We have to be 
responsible, but we also want to tell this story," said Nankin. The 
story starts with Jesse developing shingles and experiencing insurance 
problems while hospitalized.  As he is transferred from a private to 
county hospital, he goes into cardiac arrest. Later, he meets a patient 
who encourages him to fight the disease.  The episode ends as he calls 
his girlfriend Becca to get him out.

"Firing Over AIDS Rumor Spurs Suit" Baltimore Sun (12/18/92), P. 2B  
(Farabaugh, Mike)
     The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a suit in a U.S. 
District Court accusing HLJ Management Group Inc. of "wrongfully and 
abusively" firing Edward L. Saddler because of rumors that Saddler had 
the AIDS virus.  The suit claims that the food services company broke 
the law when it asked the employee questions about health problems which 
do not interfere with his job.  After firing him, HLJ required Saddler 
to take an AIDS test before he would be rehired.  He took the test 
"involuntarily and under extreme duress" and was found negative for the 
virus.  He was then rehired but fired again a few months later.  The 
Civil Liberties Union is seeking $100,000 in damages and a court order 
barring HLJ from requiring an AIDS test as a condition for employment.  
No evidence has been found to link food handling and the spread of AIDS. 

"Fetal Tissue Research Background: Tissue Transplantation in AIDS 
Treatment" AIDS Treatment News (12/04/92) No. 164, P. 7
     Although an expert panel has recommended using fetal tissue for 
research, the government has banned federal funding of research 
involving transplantation to humans of tissue from aborted fetuses since 
1988.  However, the funding ban may be removed by the Clinton 
administration.  The interest of using fetal transplantation with AIDS 
stems largely from a paper on thymic transplantation published in 1987 
by researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine.  The paper 
reported on tissue that came from young children who had to have part of 
their thymus removed during a heart operation.  It was transplanted into 
15 volunteers with late-stage AIDS; the transplanted tissue survived, 
for several months at least, in eight of them.  A total of nine patients 
exhibited clinical improvement two months after the operation.  In one 
case, cytomegalovirus retinitis cleared up spontaneously.  Tuberculosis 
control improved in two cases, "but the clearance of resistant 
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in case 12 and a cessation of the 
previously intractable diarrhea in case 13 may be more significant," the 
researchers said.  T-8 cells (different from T-helper cells, which may 
be important in controlling HIV) showed substantial increases in all 
eight of the patients in whom the transplant was successful, more than 
doubling in every case, and often increasing several fold.  Only two 
patients became able to produce a delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) 
response after the transplant.  The findings indicate that HIV may have 
prevented improvement in the T-helper count and, as a result, in the DTH 
response, while having little effect on T8 improvement, since T8 cells 
are not infected by HIV. 

"AIDS: Sperm Washing" Newsweek (12/21/92) Vol. 120, No. 25, P. 8
     An Italian physician has developed a new technique that may provide 
couples in which the male is HIV-positive with a chance to have a child 
with no risk of HIV transmission to the baby. Dr. Augusto Semprini of 
the University of Milan "washes" sperm by spinning cells in a  
centrifuge: heavier, HIV-infected sperm settle at the bottom while HIV-
free cells swim at the top. Already, 10 uninfected babies have been 
conceived through this process. 

"TB's Return" Time (12/21/92) Vol. 140, No. 25, P. 25
     Due to the combination of the AIDS epidemic and breakdowns in 
public health services, the rate of tuberculosis has escalated 25 
percent since 1984, when 22,000 cases were reported in the United 
States.  Physicians from the American Lung Association and the  Centers 
for Disease Control now suggest a series of more  aggressive 
countermeasures to thwart a general outbreak of TB,  some new strains of 
which are particularly virulent.  They advise more extensive screening 
for TB infection among high-risk groups, including children, hospital 
patients, and the homeless.  Since  people with depleted immune systems 
are especially vulnerable to  TB, the physicians also recommend that 
anyone who lives in close  contact with a TB patient should also be 
tested for HIV  infection.  And as a last resort, the health experts 
recommend  mandatory quarantine for those TB patients who neglect to  
routinely take their treatment and, consequently, are a threat to their 
fellow citizens. 

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