Rare AIDS Strain Spreading

Reported in The Lancet science journal, a rare strain of the AIDS virus, called "Group N" HIV, has spread outside the West African country of Cameroon.

First identified in 1998, only 12 cases of the rare strain were known to exist, all in Cameroon, until this year.

The new case, reported by French doctors, involves a 57-year-old man who was admitted to the Saint Louis Hospital Paris in January suffering from fever, rash, swollen lymph glands and genital ulceration.[…]

Tracing his sexual history, the researchers believe the infection was "probably" acquired from intercourse with a partner in Togo, from which he had just returned.

"This case of HIV-1 group-N primary infection indicates that this rare group is now circulating outside Cameroon, which emphasises the need for rigorous HIV epidemiological monitoring," says the doctors, led by Professor Francois Simon.

The finding is important because the patient suffered not only severe symptoms but also a fast-track decline in his immune system, as shown in the number of his CD4 white blood cells.

Scientist's suggest that "Group N" HIV jumped from chimpanzees to humans through handling of bushmeat.