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Two other patients, Adam Castillejo, and Timothy Ray Brown, feature on the list of cured HIV patients.
The men, dubbed the ‘London’ and ‘Berlin’ patients respectively, were cleared of the virus after receiving a bone marrow transplant containing HIV-resistant genes.
The procedure successfully wiped out the HIV-causing cells in one go but is deemed risky nevertheless.
Patient ‘Esperanza’ and Loreen Willenberg are rare examples of people who show no signs of the virus in their bodies despite foregoing treatment.
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HIV, which stands for human immunodeficiency virus, weakens the body’s immune defences by thwarting white blood cells known as lymphocytes.
Without these crucial cells, the body can succumb to common infections from bacteria and germs.
Since the infection was first recognised in 1981, doctors have significantly broadened their understanding of the virus.
“The virus is spread through contact with an infected person’s body fluids, especially through blood, semen and vaginal fluids.,” explains Harvard Health.
To date, no cure for HIV exists, but some drugs can significantly improve the quality of life of sufferers.
Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) offers the best hope of preventing the spread of the virus, but it cannot eliminate HIV from the body.
For one in every 200 people, the virus nestles into the inactive part of the genome, causing no collateral damage.
This was the case for both Loreen Willenberg and patient Esperanza, who are both known as ‘elite controllers.’
Doctor Yu, of the Massachusetts General Hospital, has expressed hopes that the latest findings could inform further therapies seeking to induce immunity against HIV.
“We are now looking toward the possibility of inducing this kind of immunity in persons on ART through vaccination, with the goal of educating their immune systems to be able to control the virus with ART,” he explained.
Writing in the journal Annal of Internal Medicine, researchers added: “The person described here is originally from the city of Esperanza, Argentina.
“In line with her wishes, we propose to refer to her as the “Esperanza patient” to send a message of hope for finding a cure for HIV infection.”
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