DEFINITION

The recent recognition of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the United States, Europe, and Central Africa has generated tremendous medical interest, investigation, and concern. From the initial five patients reported in June of 1981, there has been a rapid escalation in the number of patients affected in the United States. It is estimated that the number of AIDS victims in the United States will be 20,000 by the end of 1985.1 Similarly, other countries are now reporting increasing number of AIDS cases