Thursday November 13, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- Bone marrow transplant has gotten rid of HIV virus and possibly leukemia as well in an American who lives in Berlin, BBC News reported.

Doctors in Germany said that the bone marrow came from a donor who happened to have a genetic resistance to the virus.

The 42-year-old man suffered both leukemia and HIV.  Ever since he received the transplant at Berlin's Charite clinic two years ago, he had been free of HIV virus as tests on the man's bone marrow, blood and other organ tissues had been all clear.

The mutated gene of concern, called Delta 32, prevents HIV from attaching itself to cells by blocking a receptor called CCR5, injuryboard.com reported.

Experts cautioned that this may be an exceptional case and further investigation is needed to determine exactly what helped clear HIV virus in the patient.

Even if it is confirmed that the bone marrow with a genetic mutation was responsible for the miracle, Professor Rodolf Tauber, Berlin's Charite clinic was cited by BBC as saying that this "therapy" is only for a very few lucky HIV patients.

For one thing, the mutation is found only in one out of every 1000 Europeans and Americans. It is not easy to find matched bone marrow with the mutation.

HIV affects most people in Africa where few people could afford the expensive procedure.   Even if a few may afford it, studies showed 20 to 30 percent of patients could not survive from the treatment which uses high doses of radiation and drugs to kill the infected bone marrow cells and disable his immune system

Even if the patient would not die from the bone marrow transplant, he would have to suffer a great deal of pain.

However, the case report did suggest that gene therapy could be possible in the future for HIV patients.   Professor Andrew Sewell, University of Cardiff, was cited by BBC as saying gene therapy to knock out the mutation of the key CCR5 receptor could be possible as a future treatment.