Human retroviruses

Surgical gloves as a mechanical barrier against human immunodeficiency viruses

A wide variety of surgical gloves are presently available. Seven different types of gloves were investigated for the ability to prevent transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the causative agent of AIDS. Six types of gloves withstood severe compression tests and also exhibited direct antiviral properties. No penetration of HIV through the intact glove was detected.

Absence of HTLV I from New Zealand

Sera from 1,943 individuals from Auckland, New Zealand, were tested for the presence of serum antibodies to human T cell lymphotropic virus I (HTLV I), mainly with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with cell extracts as target antigen. The individuals tested were blood donors and mostly Caucasian, but included indigenous Maoris and representatives of several groups of Pacific islanders now resident in New Zealand. Also included were 37 patients with various hematological malignancies, including seven with T cell leukemias. Although 1% of samples were positive by ELISA, none of these were confirmed as positives by Western blotting. On the basis of these results we consider that it is unlikely that HTLV I infection occurs in Auckland; however, we cannot exclude the possibility that pockets of virus infection may occur in other parts of New Zealand or the South Pacific.