
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, April 5, 1994                   TAG: 9404050158
SECTION: NATIONAL/INT                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Short

FRENCH TEST FAILS TO DETECT RARE STRAIN OF AIDS VIRUS

A rare strain of the AIDS virus wasn't detected by a blood test used in France, U.S. health authorities said Monday. They said the strain is found almost exclusively in patients from Cameroon and poses little risk elsewhere.

No cases of the virus, known as HIV-1, group O, have been reported in the United States, authorities said.

The AIDS tests used in the United States were not designed to detect this virus. If the virus is reported in the United States, however, the tests can be modified to detect it, said Donald McLearn, a spokesman for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Eleven cases of infection with the virus have been reported in France, and ``almost all involve patients from Cameroon,'' according to a report in Science magazine.

The group O virus differs from both HIV-1 and HIV-2 and resembles the chimpanzee AIDS virus.

by CNB