Lack of evidence for early cases of HIV seropositivity/AIDS in the Free State region
van der Ryst, E.; Cloete, K.; Opperman, L.
South African Medical Journal 87(9): 1148 1150
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0256-9574 PMID: 9358839 Document Number: 474227
To determine whether HIV-1 infection occurred in the Free State, South Africa, before 1985, all serum samples submitted to the diagnostic laboratory of the Department of Virology of the University of the Orange Free State (a total of 14 253 samples) from 1978 to 1984 were included in the study. Until 1984 no positive cases were found. In 1984, 2 (0.07%) of the 2931 sera tested were positive. The patients were both white males, aged 32 and 39 years. They were suspected to be homosexual and both came from the Bloemfontein area. These results indicated that HIV-1 seroprevalence in the Free State was extremely low before 1985. However, as both of these patients presented with late-stage HIV-1-associated disease, HIV-1 must have circulated in this region well before 1985, or the infections may have been acquired elsewhere.