Of the 27 chronically infected patients (mean age (s.d.)55 (21.3) years; 17/27 male), we inferred that all were immunocompromised due to one or more of the following: hematologic cancer (that inherently tends to lead to immunosuppression), direct anti-B cell treatment, high-dosage steroid treatment or very low CD4+ T cell counts (due to AIDS). This evidence concerns the gene CD4 and AIDS.