Cured woman is HIV-free for 12 years without taking drugs

An 18-year-old woman, who was born with HIV, no longer has traces of the virus in her blood, despite not taking antiretroviral drugs for over 12 years. Some doctors think this may have to do with the consistent use of the drugs early in the woman’s life.

The woman has no genetic factors that might make her naturally resistant to the virus. Instead, it is likely that theearly, regular use of a combination of antiretroviral drugs is to credit for her remission, says Asier Sáez-Cirión of the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France, who will present the case at the International AIDS Society meeting in Vancouver, Canada, on Tuesday.

Scott Sieg at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, thinks it is an exciting observation. “There have been other reports of treating infants followed by stoppage of antiretroviral therapy that have not turned out as well,” he says. “This case provides new hope.”

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