MYCOPLASMA MAY PLAY ROLE IN AIDSAn article in today's issue of Science provides further evidencethat Mycoplasma influences the ability of HIV-1 to cause AIDS.

Scientists from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology inWashington, D.C., the Biotech Research Laboratories inRockville, Md., and the National Institutes of Health report thatinfection of T cells in culture by Mycoplasma bacteria enhancesthe ability of HIV-1 to kill those cells. T cells, the cellular targetof HIV-1, regulate the immune response.

AIDS patients frequently have Mycoplasma and other microbialinfections. Recent studies suggest that Mycoplasma actuallycontributes to the pathology of AIDS and is not just a bacteriumthat infects an immunocompromised host. If research continuesto show that Mycoplasma enhances HIV-1's cytotoxic effects,new strategies may be required to prevent and treat AIDS.

Also in Science, researchers at the Weizmann Institute ofScience describe how the proteins cyclin and maturationpromotion factor control cell growth. Disruptions in this controlmay lead to cancer. -- CTV

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