Survey of the prevalence of AIDS-associated virus (LAV) infection in Japan.

An indirect immunofluorescence method was developed for the assay of antibodies to lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV) which is known to be associated with the aetiology of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Samples of serum or plasma from 1353 healthy volunteer blood donors, 53 homosexual males, 29 patients who had received multiple blood transfusions and 163 haemophiliacs in Japan were tested for antibody to LAV. Results showed that 47 (29%) of the haemophiliacs, who had been treated largely with factor VIII or IX produced in the USA, were anti-LAV antibody positive, whereas all other subjects were anti-LAV antibody negative. The incidence of antibodies to Adult T-cell leukaemia virus or Human T-cell leukaemia virus I (ATLV or HTLV-I) in these subjects was high.