Reports on rare HIV strain in San Diego inaccurate

On Friday, San Diego County health officials said an announcement that a county resident may have acquired an HIV strain similar to that of a possibly aggressive and drug-resistant HIV strain found in New York City was inaccurate. The New York case involved a man in his 40s who developed AIDS rapidly after acquiring multiple-drug-resistant HIV. Last Monday, San Diego officials said a records search apparently turned up an HIV strain similar to the New York strain, prompting a search for the local patient. Now, however, officials at a testing company in San Francisco "are certain that this test was not from a San Diego-area patient," said Nancy Bowen, the county's public health officer. Due to privacy concerns, the laboratory did not disclose where the test originated, said Leslie Ridgeway, an agency spokeswoman. (AP)