Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in the child of a haemophiliac

Oral thrush developed during the second month of life in the 5-month-old son of a patient with haemophilia A. He did not feed well, and interstitial pneumonitis, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, and a cellular immune defect consistent with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) followed. Both parents had signs of pre-AIDS during the year before their son's illness. Transmission presumably occurred in 3 steps: parenterally, via factor VIII concentrate in the haemophiliac; heterosexually, from the haemophiliac to his wife; and vertically, from mother to infant, or via close paternal-infant or maternal-infant contact. This first report of AIDS in the child of a haemophiliac supports the theory that AIDS is caused by an infectious agent. Concentrate-treated haemophiliacs may transmit this agent to their spouses or children, resulting in pre-AIDS or AIDS.