Investigation Of Clinical Characteristics Of256Persons Suspecting Of Being Infected By Unknown Pathogen

BackgroundAcquired immunodeficiency syndrome(AIDS) is a fatal infectious diseaseinfected by human immunodeficiency virus(HIV) to endanger the human healthseriously.Since the first case with AIDS was reported in USA1981,both the numberof patients with AIDS and the social psychological problems increased more andmore following the spread of HIV infection into the crowd year by year, among which“AIDS-panic”or “AIDS phobia”,“the worried well of AIDS”appeared. Since the firstAIDS patient with foreign nationality was discovered in China on June1985, a newform of “AIDS-phobia”spread and became to be called “infection by negativevirus”or “infection by unknown virus”throughout our country by internet.The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention(CCDC) organizedinvestigation twice in our country,on the results of which the specialists of the HealthMinistry considered that the possibility of the crowd infected by HIV was excluded,that there was no evidence of infection and assembly of the disease that theysuffered,and that there was no clinical,laboratory and epidemiological evidence of thecrowd suffered from any infectious disease. While the “persons suspecting of beinginfected by unknown virus”had different opinions. Their reasons were that they didnot fear AIDS and that they did have similiar symptoms to those of AIDS.Many cases of chronic fatigue were reported abroad since1985. The Center for disease control and prevention of USA gave the first name “chronic fatiguesyndrome”(CFS) depending on the symptoms of these patients without laboratoryexamination in1988. The symptoms of the “persons suspecting of being infected byunknown pathogen”were similiar to those of CFS. Many researches and laboratoryexaminations found that infections by several virus, especially the human herpesvirusincluding HHV-6,HHV-7,EBV,and so on, were related to CFS.ObjectiveTo search for the clinical characteristics providing a basis of diagnosis andtreatment for the “persons suspecting of being infected by unknown pathogen” byinvestigation of their clinical data. To investigate any relation to the humanherpesvirus or pathogens of sexual relation in the most of these persons.MethodsIt was analysed and synthesized a series of data about epidemiology, clinicalsymptoms and signs, complementary examinations, laboratory detection of pathogens,and psychological assessment check-lists in256“persons suspecting of beinginfected by unknown pathogen” in the departments of both outpatient and inpatient ofour hospital from March31to December31,2011, to draw their clinicalcharacteristics and to investigate any relation to the human herpesvirus or pathogensof sexual relation in the most of these persons. Then it will be given the trial oftreatment by pathogen removal, immune readjustment, dealing with symptoms, and soon. It will be achieved a short term follow-up including clinical inquiry and physicalexamination, laboratory, test of pathogen related to the disease one year later.Results256patients came from27provinces, cities and regions throughout our country.male in86.7%, female in13.2%, at an average age of33.2土8.1, with high-riskbehavior in67.9%of them. There were much complaint and the symptoms recurred in many times, while the positive signs appeared in only37.1%of cases,without anyabnormality of the important organs of their bodies. There was decreased serumcomplement C3in27.1%of cases and C4in66.9%. There was only decreased CD4+ratio in4.3%of cases, increased CD8+ratio in24.0%, and inversed CD4+/CD8+ratio in14.7%. There was negative HIV in all256cases. The possitive humanherpesvirus and pathogens of sexual relation were detected in73.0%of cases. Therewas abnormality of psychological assessment check-lists in9out of12cases. Therewas a preliminary good efficacy of a trial of treatment by pathogen removal anddealing with symptoms in30patients.ConclusionAll possibility of infection by HIV were excluded, while there was obviouslyinfections by multiple pathogens mainly by human herpesvirus such asHHV-6,HHV-7and EBV,or pathogens of sexual relation in the “persons suspecting ofbeing infected by unknown pathogen”. There was no lesions in the important organsof all256patients. HIV infection was excluded at all. A possibility of a closerelationship between the patients and the human herpesvirus and pathogens of sexualrelation will be investigated further.