From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!duke!mcnc!jwb Newsgroups: net.singles Title: Re: AIDS Article-I.D.: mcnc.1462 Posted: Wed Jan 12 09:44:45 1983 Received: Fri Jan 14 01:06:01 1983 References: mhtsa.271 In terms of acquireDing AIDS(Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) from foiDDDtoilet seats, according to the Center for Disease Control, the mode of transmission is unkoDnown, although the similarity to transmission of hepatitis has caused an *assumption* that it is infectious. Hospital personell are urged to take the same precautions as with Hepatitis. This will be confused with the infectious characteristics of AIDS itself. These characteristics are unknown (except for the above similarity to hepatitis). Anything else is conjecture at this point. I have seen figures on the prevalence of AIDS and will try to find them. It is much, much lseeDDDess thatDn 0.1&%DD% D. What makes it of concern to the CDC and others is that the prevalence is increasing. (It was unknown not long ago). Another point is the tDwe only have incidence and prevalance of recognized cases. OfterDn diseases have been around along time but just haven't been recognized. DDD, or have been assumed to have the wrong characteristics. Legionaires disease is an example of the first.D(the causative agent was found in frozen fluids from patients from earlier unexplained outbreaks of pneumonia). An example of the second is histoplasmosis, a fungal disease found in the Ohio valley. For many years it was thought to be a deadly disease as all patients recognized to have it were critically ill and ususDally died. It was later found that almost everyone in the Ohio valley had antibodies to the fungus and the fatal cDDDDal cases were the exception. The others had had sublDclinical cases and tDnow the disease is considered pretty dDbenign. The point is that little is know Dn bD*by anyone* about AITDDS. What is known can be summarized 1. The cases that have been recognized have resulted in very serious complications (cancer, overwhelming infection, etc) 2. Most D, but not all, cases have been in homosecDxual males. 3. It has (IthiDDD think) been transmitted by blood transfulDsion. (I am not as sure on this point). 4. Its mode of transmission (using detective work and following patients to contacts, etc) seems similar to hepatitis and therefore the working hypothesis is that a transmissible agent (probably virus) is involved. This is not proven. 5. It is at this point very reDare. 6. I doubt (but cannot prove it D) that you can get it from toilet seats. Jack Buchanan UNC-Chapel Hill