A case comparison of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in homosexual males with spindle-endothelial cell abnormalities and with recrudescent melioidosis.

The AIDS syndrome includes cases of biopsy-proven Kaposi's sarcoma in persons under 60 years of age, or biopsy- or culture-proven Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, or either of the life-threatening opportunistic infections in young previously healthy persons with no underlying cause of immunodeficiency (Center for Disease Control criteria). Here we described the first case of AIDS with early Kaposi's sarcoma-like lesions in homosexual male drug addict and have compared the clinical and laboratory findings with those of another homosexual male having recrudescent melioidosis due to Pseudomonas pseudomallei.

Prevalence of HTLV-III/LAV antibody in selected populations in Thailand.

Antibody to the human T-lymphotropic virus, type III/lymphadenopathy-associated virus (HTLV-III/LAV) by ELISA test was detected in one (1%) of 101 male homosexual prostitutes (confidence limit 95%:0.03-5.4%, in two (2%) of 100 thalassemia patients, and in none (C.L. 95%:0-3.6%) of 100 female prostitutes, 99 parenteral drug abusers, 100 male VD patients, 100 consecutive blood donors in serum collected from February through June 1985. Serum from the positive homosexual subject was strongly positive on repeated ELISA testing, and was also positive by Western Blot test. The two thalassemia patients, who were repeatedly weakly-positive by ELISA, were negative by Western Blot test and presumed to be false positive reactors. Prevalence of HTLV-III/LAV virus in sexually-active homosexuals in Thailand in 1985 appears to be similar to the 1% rate among homosexuals in San Francisco in 1978 at the start of the AIDS epidemic there.