Sero-epidemiology of HTLV-III antibody in southern Africa

A preliminary survey has demonstrated that antibodies directed against human T-cell leukaemia virus type III (HTLV-III), the virus implicated as the agent causing the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, are not present in the low-risk population groups studied. The survey, in which an indirect immunofluorescence assay was used, has indicated that HTLV-III is not endemic in southern Africa (as opposed to central Africa, where it has been suggested that the virus is endemic). Anti-HTLV-III antibodies were, however, found in sera from male homosexuals, the one high-risk population group studied.