The Prevalence of HTLV-III/LAV Antibodies among Intravenous Drug Users Attending Treatment Programs in California: A Preliminary Report

To the Editor: Intravenous drug use is the primary risk factor in 17 percent of the cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) reported in the United States, and intravenous drug users constitute the second largest risk group after homosexual men.¹ Recently, antibodies to human T-cell lymphotropic virus Type III/lymphadenopathy-associated virus (HTLV-III/LAV) were also detected in as many as 87 percent of patients undergoing drug detoxification who did not have diagnosed AIDS.^{2 3 4} Most AIDS cases associated with intravenous drug use, however, have occurred in the northeastern United States, with the greatest concentration in the New York City–New Jersey area.³ Similarly, most.