321:. 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
110:
298:
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.
101:, 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.
297:
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,
163:
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
137:
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
96:
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
286:
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
167:
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
294:"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."
441:
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".
274:
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
819:
214:
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
719:
Elvin-Lewis M, Witte M, Witte C, Cole W, Davis J (September 1973). "Systemic
Chlamydial infection associated with generalized lymphedema and lymphangiosarcoma".
881:
666:
606:
186:
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
325:'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
891:
834:
270:. 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
896:
548:
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916:
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231:
638:
906:
121:. As a single parent, his mother Constance had to raise both Robert and his sibling by herself. The Rayfords lived in the
354:
125:
neighborhood of St. Louis, where the 19th-century brick homes provided affordable housing for several working class
886:
694:
616:
559:
179:, but never considered the possibility of him being a victim of child molestation. Eventually, he was moved to
503:
326:
314:
585:
698:
237:
These findings baffled the attending doctors, and a review of the case was published in the medical journal
180:
607:"The Sea Has Neither Sense Nor Pity: the Earliest Known Cases of AIDS in the Pre-AIDS Era - Body Horrors"
667:"A mystery illness killed a boy in 1969. Years later, doctors believed they'd learned what it was: AIDS"
301:
The last known tissue samples of Rayford were in a New Orleans lab and inadvertently destroyed during
876:
871:
866:
759:
359:
175:
Doctors treating Rayford suspected that he was an underage sex worker and the recipient of receptive
417:
230:
ancestry, but was almost unheard of among black teenagers. Kaposi's sarcoma was later designated an
671:
611:
349:
219:
146:
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35:
839:
489:
169:
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813:
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149:. Rayford told the doctors that he had experienced these symptoms since at least late 1966.
767:
558:
450:
187:
176:
126:
553:
412:
763:
291:
in 1990, Robert F. Garry stated that efforts to directly detect HIV DNA were under way:
227:
160:
request from hospital personnel, and was described as uncommunicative and withdrawn.
113:
2837 Delmar Boulevard (center), where the former residence of Robert Rayford once stood
522:
860:
454:
263:
191:
601:
599:
381:
109:
648:
275:
484:
164:
I wanted something more from him—more blood, more lymph fluid, more something."
267:
215:
156:
infection which had, unusually, spread throughout his body. Rayford declined a
129:
families such as their own. Not much of Rayford's personal life was disclosed.
344:
139:
254:
HIV (originally called "lymphadenopathy-associated virus", or LAV) was first
16:
Teenager thought to be the first death from AIDS in North America (1953–1969)
643:
338:
218:, including "of the rectum and anus." Drake concluded that the lesions were
199:
153:
98:
781:
732:
462:
283:
279:
271:
93:
89:
211:
772:
747:
223:
183:(which was originally Barnes Hospital that combined with another).
92:
who has been suggested to represent the earliest confirmed case of
195:
108:
84:(February 3, 1953 – May 15, 1969), sometimes identified as
72:
60:
322:
259:
255:
835:"Boy's 1969 Death Suggests Aids Invaded U.S. Several Times"
172:, and attributed his condition to sexual contact with her.
258:
in 1983 and at the time, it was rapidly spreading in the
801:. 2007-05-03. Archived from the original on 2007-05-03
226:
which mostly affected elderly men of Mediterranean or
799:"XIIth International Congress of Virology Abstract"
506:
by W. Pate McMichael August 2007 St. Louis Magazine
67:
55:
43:
28:
21:
660:
658:
818:: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
190:count had plummeted. The doctors found that his
117:Robert Rayford was born on February 3, 1953, in
478:
476:
474:
472:
317:and told doctors that he had never received a
278:, the most sensitive test then available. The
88:due to his age, was an American teenager from
586:"Robert Rayford: America's First AIDS Victim"
145:He had grown thin and pale and suffered from
8:
579:
577:
542:
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538:
536:
516:
514:
512:
18:
771:
382:"Headline: AIDS / History / Rayford Case"
401:
399:
436:
434:
370:
341:, the earliest known European AIDS case
811:
793:
791:
483:McMichael, W. Pate (August 31, 2007).
406:Gorman, Christine (November 9, 1987).
549:"Case Shakes Theories of AIDS Origin"
305:in 2005, preventing further testing.
7:
882:20th-century African-American people
746:Garry, Robert F. (11 October 1990).
384:. Vanderbilt Television News Archive
376:
374:
547:Crewdson, John (October 25, 1987).
523:"AIDS 1969: HIV, History, and Race"
313:Rayford never traveled outside the
615:. October 22, 2012. Archived from
194:was dysfunctional. He developed a
14:
892:Deaths from pneumonia in Missouri
408:"Strange Trip Back to the Future"
833:Gina Kolata (October 28, 1987).
693:Falco, Miriam (April 19, 2018).
455:10.1001/jama.1988.03410140097031
897:AIDS-related deaths in Missouri
748:"Early case of AIDS in the USA"
665:Hendrix, Steve (May 15, 2019).
309:Impact on AIDS origin research
1:
902:HIV/AIDS in the United States
202:at 11:20 pm on May 15, 1969.
912:20th-century American people
355:Timeline of early AIDS cases
933:
584:Hunter, Al (May 8, 2014).
152:Tests discovered a severe
75:death in the United States
917:African-American children
695:"What is Kaposi Sarcoma?"
485:"The Pre-Pandemic Puzzle"
50:St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
315:Midwestern United States
699:American Cancer Society
521:Kerr, Theodore (2015).
504:The Pre-Pandemic Puzzle
181:Barnes-Jewish Hospital
114:
63:-related complications
47:May 15, 1969 (aged 16)
907:People from St. Louis
232:AIDS-defining illness
112:
360:Timeline of HIV/AIDS
262:male communities of
245:Later investigations
71:Alleged first known
764:1990Natur.347..509G
672:The Washington Post
563:on October 19, 2018
350:History of HIV/AIDS
147:shortness of breath
119:St. Louis, Missouri
56:Cause of death
36:St. Louis, Missouri
840:The New York Times
639:"Kaposi's Sarcoma"
490:St. Louis Magazine
327:child prostitution
170:sexual intercourse
158:rectal examination
115:
82:Robert Lee Rayford
23:Robert Lee Rayford
887:American children
619:on August 6, 2014
319:blood transfusion
303:Hurricane Katrina
222:, a rare type of
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773:10.1038/347509a0
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629:
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557:. Archived from
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429:
428:
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420:on March 2, 2007
416:. Archived from
403:
394:
393:
391:
389:
378:
282:test found that
228:Ashkenazi Jewish
220:Kaposi's sarcoma
188:white blood cell
177:anal intercourse
127:African-American
32:February 3, 1953
19:
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738:
727:(3): 113–121.
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449:(14): 2085–7.
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68:Known for
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34:
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26:
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15:
13:
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758:(6293): 509.
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651:on 2012-02-16
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192:immune system
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846:February 13,
844:. Retrieved
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828:
803:. Retrieved
755:
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724:
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702:. Retrieved
688:
676:. Retrieved
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649:the original
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633:
621:. Retrieved
617:the original
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589:
565:. Retrieved
560:the original
552:
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499:
488:
446:
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422:. Retrieved
418:the original
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386:. Retrieved
312:
300:
296:
293:
288:
280:Western blot
276:Western blot
253:
238:
236:
209:
198:and died of
185:
174:
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151:
144:
136:
116:
85:
81:
80:
877:Index cases
872:1969 deaths
867:1953 births
623:October 17,
268:Los Angeles
216:soft tissue
861:Categories
805:2016-11-30
721:Lymphology
567:2007-11-24
424:2007-11-24
388:4 February
366:References
345:Index case
284:antibodies
256:discovered
239:Lymphology
140:lymphedema
105:Background
644:USA Today
339:Arvid Noe
241:in 1973.
200:pneumonia
154:chlamydia
123:Old North
99:pneumonia
86:Robert R.
59:Possible
814:cite web
612:Discover
333:See also
94:HIV/AIDS
90:Missouri
782:2215674
760:Bibcode
733:4766275
704:May 20,
678:May 20,
463:3418874
212:autopsy
206:Autopsy
133:Illness
780:
752:Nature
731:
461:
289:Nature
272:tested
224:cancer
38:, U.S.
527:Drain
250:Tests
196:fever
848:2012
820:link
778:PMID
729:PMID
706:2019
680:2019
625:2014
459:PMID
443:JAMA
413:Time
390:2013
266:and
73:AIDS
61:AIDS
44:Died
29:Born
768:doi
756:347
451:doi
447:260
323:TWA
260:gay
210:An
142:.
863::
837:.
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812:{{
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392:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
