Insect-Borne Transmission of AIDS

To the Editor.— Although Dr Drotman¹ correctly downplays the current evidence for mosquito-borne transmission of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the United States, I believe that several pieces of information suggest a possible role for insect-borne spread in the tropics.² That 50 of 75 serum samples collected from healthy children in the West Nile region of Uganda in 1973 had antibody to human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III)³ indicates that transmission is wide-spread and may occur early in life; either heterosexual or homosexual transmission with subsequent vertical transmission is unlikely to account for such high prevalence of infection. Therefore, in contrast to Dr Drotman's assertion, HTLV-III infection may be common in preadolescent children. In a small study of HTLV-III antibody in healthy Zairians, 22% were positive and 29% had borderline results; all were immunologically normal.⁴ Even in the absence of follow-up data, it is reasonable