332:. If Rayford was indeed infected with HIV, as one group of researchers claims, the mode of acquisition is assumed to have been through sexual contact. Having never left the country, the researchers who claim that Rayford represented an early case of HIV infection presume that AIDS may have been present in North America before Rayford began to show symptoms of it in 1966. Rayford never ventured into cosmopolitan cities such as New York, Los Angeles, or San Francisco, where the HIV-AIDS epidemic was first observed in the United States. The only notable international connection to St. Louis is that it was
121:
309:
and became widely used as a laboratory reference isolate (this study has never been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal). Neither John
Sninsky nor Shirley Kwok was listed as an author on the abstract. The abstract argues that laboratory contamination by the HIV IIIB isolate was unlikely because the DNA testing was done on Rayford's samples without being cultured.
112:, but his other symptoms baffled the doctors who treated him. A study published in 1988 reported the detection of antibodies against HIV. Results of testing for HIV genetic material were reported once at a scientific conference in Australia in 1999; however, the data has never been published in a peer-reviewed medical or scientific journal.
308:
A study which reported the results of testing for HIV DNA was eventually presented nearly a decade later, as a conference abstract in 1999. The abstract reports the detection of HIV genes in
Rayford's samples which were very similar to the HIV IIIB isolate which was discovered in France in the 1980s,
174:
Dr Memory Elvin-Lewis, who was assigned to his case, would recall
Rayford's shy and hesitant personality: "He was the typical 15-year-old who is not going to talk to adults, especially when I'm white and he's black. He was not a communicative individual. He knew the minute I walked into the room that
148:
In early 1968, Rayford, then 15 years old, admitted himself to the City
Hospital in St. Louis. His legs and genitals were covered in warts and sores. He also had severe swelling of the testicles and pelvic region, which later spread to his legs, causing a misdiagnosis of
107:
in North
America. This is based on evidence published in 1988 in which the authors claimed that medical evidence indicated that he was "infected with a virus closely related or identical to human immunodeficiency virus type 1." Rayford died of
297:
against all nine detectable HIV proteins were present in
Rayford's blood. An antigen capture assay was also reported to have identified HIV antigens in tissue samples, but not in serum. In a letter to the scientific journal
178:
Rayford gave contradictory statements regarding his sexual history. At one point
Rayford claimed he was "the stud of all time". At another point he claimed a young woman from his neighborhood was his only partner for
305:"Proviral DNA has recently been detected in his tissues by PCR in collaboration with J. Sninsky and S. Kwok (Cetus Corporation, Emeryville, California) but nucleotide sequence analysis is not yet complete."
452:
Garry RF, Witte MH, Gottlieb AA, Elvin-Lewis M, Gottlieb MS, Witte CL, Alexander SS, Cole WR, Drake WL Jr (October 1988). "Documentation of an AIDS virus infection in the United States in 1968".
285:
tissue samples that were preserved after
Rayford's autopsy, and the test results came back negative. Three years later, in June 1987, Witte decided to test the tissue samples again using
830:
225:
of
Rayford's body, which was led by William Drake, uncovered several abnormalities. Small purplish lesions were discovered on Rayford's left thigh and in his internal
730:
Elvin-Lewis M, Witte M, Witte C, Cole W, Davis J (September 1973). "Systemic
Chlamydial infection associated with generalized lymphedema and lymphangiosarcoma".
892:
677:
617:
197:
In late 1968 Rayford's condition seemed to stabilize, but by March 1969 his symptoms reappeared and worsened. He had increased difficulty breathing and his
336:'s main airline hub. Doctors and others who investigated the case in the early 1980s speculated that Rayford may have been sexually abused or a victim of
902:
845:
281:. In 1984, Marlys Witte, one of the doctors who, like Elvin-Lewis, had cared for Rayford before his death and also assisted in the autopsy, thawed and
907:
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132:. As a single parent, his mother Constance had to raise both Robert and his sibling by herself. The Rayfords lived in the
365:
136:
neighborhood of St. Louis, where the 19th-century brick homes provided affordable housing for several working class
897:
705:
627:
570:
190:, but never considered the possibility of him being a victim of child molestation. Eventually, he was moved to
514:
337:
325:
596:
709:
248:
These findings baffled the attending doctors, and a review of the case was published in the medical journal
191:
618:"The Sea Has Neither Sense Nor Pity: the Earliest Known Cases of AIDS in the Pre-AIDS Era - Body Horrors"
678:"A mystery illness killed a boy in 1969. Years later, doctors believed they'd learned what it was: AIDS"
312:
The last known tissue samples of Rayford were in a New Orleans lab and inadvertently destroyed during
887:
882:
877:
770:
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186:
Doctors treating Rayford suspected that he was an underage sex worker and the recipient of receptive
428:
241:
ancestry, but was almost unheard of among black teenagers. Kaposi's sarcoma was later designated an
682:
622:
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230:
157:
133:
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46:
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168:
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160:. Rayford told the doctors that he had experienced these symptoms since at least late 1966.
778:
569:
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198:
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423:
774:
302:
in 1990, Robert F. Garry stated that efforts to directly detect HIV DNA were under way:
238:
171:
request from hospital personnel, and was described as uncommunicative and withdrawn.
124:
2837 Delmar Boulevard (center), where the former residence of Robert Rayford once stood
533:
871:
465:
274:
202:
612:
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392:
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659:
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175:
I wanted something more from him—more blood, more lymph fluid, more something."
278:
226:
167:
infection which had, unusually, spread throughout his body. Rayford declined a
140:
families such as their own. Not much of Rayford's personal life was disclosed.
355:
150:
265:
HIV (originally called "lymphadenopathy-associated virus", or LAV) was first
27:
Teenager thought to be the first death from AIDS in North America (1953–1969)
654:
349:
229:, including "of the rectum and anus." Drake concluded that the lesions were
210:
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109:
792:
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294:
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104:
100:
17:
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783:
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194:(which was originally Barnes Hospital that combined with another).
103:
who has been suggested to represent the earliest confirmed case of
206:
119:
95:(February 3, 1953 – May 15, 1969), sometimes identified as
83:
71:
333:
270:
266:
846:"Boy's 1969 Death Suggests Aids Invaded U.S. Several Times"
183:, and attributed his condition to sexual contact with her.
269:
in 1983 and at the time, it was rapidly spreading in the
812:. 2007-05-03. Archived from the original on 2007-05-03
237:
which mostly affected elderly men of Mediterranean or
810:"XIIth International Congress of Virology Abstract"
517:
by W. Pate McMichael August 2007 St. Louis Magazine
78:
66:
54:
39:
32:
671:
669:
829:: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
201:count had plummeted. The doctors found that his
128:Robert Rayford was born on February 3, 1953, in
489:
487:
485:
483:
328:and told doctors that he had never received a
289:, the most sensitive test then available. The
99:due to his age, was an American teenager from
597:"Robert Rayford: America's First AIDS Victim"
156:He had grown thin and pale and suffered from
8:
590:
588:
553:
551:
549:
547:
527:
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523:
29:
782:
393:"Headline: AIDS / History / Rayford Case"
412:
410:
447:
445:
381:
352:, the earliest known European AIDS case
822:
804:
802:
494:McMichael, W. Pate (August 31, 2007).
417:Gorman, Christine (November 9, 1987).
560:"Case Shakes Theories of AIDS Origin"
316:in 2005, preventing further testing.
7:
893:20th-century African-American people
757:Garry, Robert F. (11 October 1990).
395:. Vanderbilt Television News Archive
387:
385:
558:Crewdson, John (October 25, 1987).
534:"AIDS 1969: HIV, History, and Race"
324:Rayford never traveled outside the
626:. October 22, 2012. Archived from
205:was dysfunctional. He developed a
25:
903:Deaths from pneumonia in Missouri
419:"Strange Trip Back to the Future"
844:Gina Kolata (October 28, 1987).
704:Falco, Miriam (April 19, 2018).
466:10.1001/jama.1988.03410140097031
908:AIDS-related deaths in Missouri
759:"Early case of AIDS in the USA"
676:Hendrix, Steve (May 15, 2019).
320:Impact on AIDS origin research
1:
913:HIV/AIDS in the United States
213:at 11:20 pm on May 15, 1969.
923:20th-century American people
366:Timeline of early AIDS cases
944:
595:Hunter, Al (May 8, 2014).
163:Tests discovered a severe
86:death in the United States
928:African-American children
706:"What is Kaposi Sarcoma?"
496:"The Pre-Pandemic Puzzle"
61:St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
326:Midwestern United States
710:American Cancer Society
532:Kerr, Theodore (2015).
515:The Pre-Pandemic Puzzle
192:Barnes-Jewish Hospital
125:
74:-related complications
58:May 15, 1969 (aged 16)
918:People from St. Louis
243:AIDS-defining illness
123:
371:Timeline of HIV/AIDS
273:male communities of
256:Later investigations
82:Alleged first known
775:1990Natur.347..509G
683:The Washington Post
574:on October 19, 2018
361:History of HIV/AIDS
158:shortness of breath
130:St. Louis, Missouri
67:Cause of death
47:St. Louis, Missouri
851:The New York Times
650:"Kaposi's Sarcoma"
501:St. Louis Magazine
338:child prostitution
181:sexual intercourse
169:rectal examination
126:
93:Robert Lee Rayford
34:Robert Lee Rayford
898:American children
630:on August 6, 2014
330:blood transfusion
314:Hurricane Katrina
233:, a rare type of
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89:
16:(Redirected from
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431:on March 2, 2007
427:. Archived from
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293:test found that
239:Ashkenazi Jewish
231:Kaposi's sarcoma
199:white blood cell
188:anal intercourse
138:African-American
43:February 3, 1953
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79:Known for
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769:(6293): 509.
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662:on 2012-02-16
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857:February 13,
855:. Retrieved
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814:. Retrieved
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713:. Retrieved
699:
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681:
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632:. Retrieved
628:the original
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571:the original
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429:the original
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397:. Retrieved
323:
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307:
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291:Western blot
287:Western blot
264:
249:
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220:
209:and died of
196:
185:
177:
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155:
147:
127:
96:
92:
91:
888:Index cases
883:1969 deaths
878:1953 births
634:October 17,
279:Los Angeles
227:soft tissue
872:Categories
816:2016-11-30
732:Lymphology
578:2007-11-24
435:2007-11-24
399:4 February
377:References
356:Index case
295:antibodies
267:discovered
250:Lymphology
151:lymphedema
116:Background
655:USA Today
350:Arvid Noe
252:in 1973.
211:pneumonia
165:chlamydia
134:Old North
110:pneumonia
97:Robert R.
70:Possible
18:Robert R.
825:cite web
623:Discover
344:See also
105:HIV/AIDS
101:Missouri
793:2215674
771:Bibcode
744:4766275
715:May 20,
689:May 20,
474:3418874
223:autopsy
217:Autopsy
144:Illness
791:
763:Nature
742:
472:
300:Nature
283:tested
235:cancer
49:, U.S.
538:Drain
261:Tests
207:fever
859:2012
831:link
789:PMID
740:PMID
717:2019
691:2019
636:2014
470:PMID
454:JAMA
424:Time
401:2013
277:and
84:AIDS
72:AIDS
55:Died
40:Born
779:doi
767:347
462:doi
458:260
334:TWA
271:gay
221:An
153:.
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
