Enteric infections and other cofactors in AIDS.

It is generally accepted that human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III (HTL VIII) is the causative agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), but, asyet, there are no clear reasons for the different clinical manifestations of AIDS among individuals. In this article Douglas Archer and Walter Glinsmann discuss the history of AIDS and propose a link between HTLV-III infection and gastrointestinal disease processes with attendant malabsorption. They further propose that maximizing the nutritional status and minimizing the incidence of gastrointestinal infection of individuals infected with HTLV-III may prevent development of the full-blown AIDS.