Science / Medicine : Insect Link Discounted

Scientists last week reported evidence debunking the theory that a distant relative of the AIDS virus that causes leukemia could be spread by insects. The researchers said they produced evidence that mosquitoes and ticks do not transmit HTLV-1, the human T-cell lymphotrophic virus type 1, a virus related to the AIDS virus that causes leukemia.

“This is reassuring,” said Dr. Edward Murphy, an assistant professor of laboratory medicine at UC San Francisco, who headed the research reported in a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Some researchers had speculated that HTLV-1 may be spread by insects because it is found mostly in the tropics and other areas where insect-borne diseases are common.

The researchers tested 90 Jamaican patients who had antibodies to HTLV-1 for antibodies to other viruses transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes and compared them to 110 subjects who did not have HTLV-1 antibodies. They found no significant evidence that those infected with HTLV-1 were more likely to have been exposed to mosquitoes or ticks.