Andrew Stimpson
Encyclopedia
Andrew Stimpson is a former glamour model
, who was once cover boy and centrefold of Euroboy magazine. He tested negative for HIV
fourteen months after three initial tests returned a positive result. While there have been anecdotal reports from Africa
of people fighting off the virus, Stimpson's case was the first to have been medically documented and tested.
After having contracted the disease from his HIV-positive boyfriend Juan Gomez, Stimpson first stated that he felt "tired, weak and feverish" and had three HIV antibody tests at the Victoria Clinic for Sexual Health in west London
. In October 2003, Stimpson was offered another test, which came back negative. He claimed he was "baffled" and "convinced there must have been a mistake". He sued the hospital, but two later tests confirmed that both results were correct.
As Stimpson was in the early stages of HIV, he was not taking any medication for the disease, and was only prescribed daily supplements
.
While the hospital could not confirm if Stimpson has actually been cured of the disease, he has been urged to return for further tests in hope of reproducing the result in others. Stimpson spent weeks meeting with some of the world's leading HIV specialists, immunologists and virologists. After many tests there was still no answer as to what had actually happened. All that he was told was that there were no mistakes and somehow during those fourteen months he had gone from HIV positive to HIV negative.
The more specific and sensitive RT-PCR test for HIV's genome does not appear to have been performed.
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
, who was once cover boy and centrefold of Euroboy magazine. He tested negative for HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
fourteen months after three initial tests returned a positive result. While there have been anecdotal reports from Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
of people fighting off the virus, Stimpson's case was the first to have been medically documented and tested.
After having contracted the disease from his HIV-positive boyfriend Juan Gomez, Stimpson first stated that he felt "tired, weak and feverish" and had three HIV antibody tests at the Victoria Clinic for Sexual Health in west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In October 2003, Stimpson was offered another test, which came back negative. He claimed he was "baffled" and "convinced there must have been a mistake". He sued the hospital, but two later tests confirmed that both results were correct.
As Stimpson was in the early stages of HIV, he was not taking any medication for the disease, and was only prescribed daily supplements
Dietary supplement
A dietary supplement, also known as food supplement or nutritional supplement, is a preparation intended to supplement the diet and provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids, or amino acids, that may be missing or may not be consumed in sufficient quantities in a person's diet...
.
While the hospital could not confirm if Stimpson has actually been cured of the disease, he has been urged to return for further tests in hope of reproducing the result in others. Stimpson spent weeks meeting with some of the world's leading HIV specialists, immunologists and virologists. After many tests there was still no answer as to what had actually happened. All that he was told was that there were no mistakes and somehow during those fourteen months he had gone from HIV positive to HIV negative.
Explanations
In addition to the simple explanation of three consecutive false positive tests, three other explanations for the initial HIV+ tests have been put forward that do not depend on Stimpson having been infected with HIV and then becoming HIV-free:- The temporary presence of malformed HIV particles, which were unable to successfully establish an ongoing infection.
- Developing a sort of immunizationImmunizationImmunization, or immunisation, is the process by which an individual's immune system becomes fortified against an agent ....
through repeated exposure to HIV or its component proteins, which would produce a natural antibody response against HIV. - Spontaneous seroreversion (when the body stops producing antibodies against a protein) despite the ongoing presence of the virus; this is a type of immune toleranceImmune toleranceImmune tolerance or immunological tolerance is the process by which the immune system does not attack an antigen. It can be either 'natural' or 'self tolerance', in which the body does not mount an immune response to self antigens, or 'induced tolerance', in which tolerance to external antigens can...
.
The more specific and sensitive RT-PCR test for HIV's genome does not appear to have been performed.