Breakthrough

Hepatitis virus detected

Some 100,000 Americans contract hepatitis each year from blood transfusions. In 90% of the cases, the culprit is a mystery virus that can be identified only by a process of elimination: when tests confirm that it is neither Type A nor Type B hepatitis, a diagnosis of nonA, non-B is made. For years scientists have sought to find the unseen villain. Last week researchers at the Food and Drug Administration announced a breakthrough.

In a paper published in the Lancet, Dr. Robert Gerety and his associates described a new virus that appears to be the cause of the disease. The organism, though not completely identified, evidently belongs to the same category of unusual microbes as the AIDS virus, a class known as retroviruses. The discovery could lead to tests to screen donated blood in about a year. Says FDA Commissioner Dr. Frank Young: "It is very important news for the American people."