Is He or Isn’t He Cured? Real Answers to the Case of the Berlin Patient
Timothy Brown: not HIV positive
The short answer: Yes, Timothy Brown, otherwise known as “the Berlin Patient,” remains cured of HIV. You probably remember the story. Brown, who was living with HIV, needed risky, costly stem cell transplants for leukemia. He got the transplants in 2007 and 2008 from a donor who had a genetic mutation that made his cells virtually resistant to HIV. Brown acquired the resistance along with a healthy immune system, and he was declared cured of AIDS—a world first—in 2010. Since then, the generous and groundbreaking Brown has submitted himself to repeated medical tests to monitor the minutiae of his body’s microbiology. Recently, samples of his blood cells and rectal tissue seemed to reveal some fragments of HIV. However, the viral fragments did not match the genetic makeup of the HIV that caused Brown’s original infection, and debate ensued about whether the fragments actually resulted from lab contamination. And none of the fragments were capable of reproducing (essential for HIV’s survival in a host). The remaining viral particles do raise the question of whether Brown’s cure was in fact sterilizing (eradicating all HIV from the body) or functional (cutting the level of virus in the body so low that it can’t cause disease, eliminating the need for HIV meds). Either way, it seems the latest developments in Brown’s case provide grounds for more research, but not alarm.
(BROWN) TOBY BURDITT; (GRAFFITI) ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/RICARDO DE MATTOS
More Safer Sex
Despite efforts to promote sex education and condom use, HIV rates are not declining. It couldn’t be clearer: We need other options to stem the tide of sexually acquired HIV cases. So it is nice to report that an experimental rectal microbicide (a gel containing HIV drugs to block HIV transmission) has been improved. The gel, containing Viread (tenofovir), had issues associated with side effects that undercut its effectiveness as well as its tolerability in the MTN-007 trial. Researchers developed a low glycerin version of the gel, and voilà— fewer problems. Next: a trial in South Africa, Peru, Thailand and the United States to test the new gel.
Common Sense Rules the Court
In June, a New York appeals court overturned the conviction of an HIV-positive man for assaulting a police officer using “a dangerous weapon,” a.k.a. his saliva. There has never been a documented case of HIV transmission by spit. Yet people with HIV have repeatedly been prosecuted on the grounds that they intended to harm someone by spitting on them. Although the court did not rule on whether saliva can transmit HIV, the decision still sets an important precedent: In New York, body parts and fluids cannot be considered weapons. Here’s hoping future rulings will address the fact that saliva doesn’t spread HIV. That would debunk a harmful myth that stigmatizes HIV and discourages testing.
poz.com SEPTEMBER 2012 POZ 25