Symptom-free HIV patients may offer clues to vaccine. (Australia)

Australia

Australian investigators say they have identified six patients with the same strain of HIV who have remained free of symptoms for up to a decade, a finding which may provide clues for developing a vaccine.

The findings, published in the October 10, 1992, issue of the Lancet, also lend credence to speculation that some forms of HIV may be less dangerous than others. The researchers discovered five people who got the virus from the same blood donor between 1982 and 1984. As of June 1992, these recipients and the donor had no symptoms of AIDS. A sixth recipient, who suffered from a second immune disorder, has since died of AIDS.

"This …