Human Immunodeficiency Virus »
When was HIV discovered, and how is it diagnosed?
In 1981, homosexual men with
symptoms of a disease that now are considered typical of the acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) were first described in Los Angeles and New
York. The men had an unusual type of lung infection (pneumonia) called
Pneumocystis carinii (now known as
Pneumocystis jiroveci)
pneumonia (PCP) and rare skin tumors called Kaposi's sarcomas. The patients were
noted to have a severe reduction in a type of cell in the blood that is an
important part of the immune system, called CD4 cells. These cells, often referred to as
CD4 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 the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and belonging to the group of viruses
called re...
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