discovery and naming of HIV/HTLV-III/LAV/ARV

Because HIV was independently discovered by three different scientific groups in 1983–1984, three different names for HIV entered circulation:

1. LAV, or lymphadenopathy associated virus, was the name used by the group led by Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier at the Pasteur Institute,
2. HTLV-III, or human T-cell lymphoma virus III, was the name used by the group led by Bob Gallo at the National Cancer Institute
3. ARV, or AIDS associated retrovirus, was the name used by the group led by Jay Levy at UCSF.

In 1986 the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses appointed a subcommittee to choose a single, internationally acceptable name. The name human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, was announced on May 1, 1986 in Nature (vol. 321, no. 6065, p. 10)  and May 9 in Science (vol. 232, no. 4751, p. 697). The subcommittee was led by Harold Varmus and also included:

• John Coffin
• Myron "Max" Essex
• Bob Gallo
• Ashley Haase
• Jay Levy
• Luc Montagnier
• Steven Oroszlan
• Natalie Teich
• Howard Temin
• Kumao Toyoshima
• Peter Vogt
• Robin Weiss

However, Gallo and Essex objected to the conclusions of the committee and did not sign the letter published in Nature and Science, briefly continuing to use the term HTLV-III.

For the letters, see:

• John M. Coffin et al., “What to Call the AIDS Virus?,” Nature 321, no. 6065 (May 1986): 10–10, doi:10.1038/321010a0.
• John M. Coffin et al., “Human Immunodeficiency Viruses,” Science 232, no. 4751 (May 9, 1986): 697–697, doi:10.1126/science.3008335.

On the immediate controversy, see:

• Associated Press, “New Name Is Proposed For the Cause of AIDS,” The New York Times, May 1, 1986, sec. A, page 21, https://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/01/us/new-name-is-proposed-for-the-cause-of-aids.html;
• “What’s in a Name?,” Nature 321, no. 6065 (May 1, 1986): 2, doi:10.1038/321002a0,
• Joseph Palca, “Virus Nomenelature: Controversy over AIDS Virus Extends to Name,” Nature 321, no. 6065 (May 1, 1986): 3, doi:10.1038/321003a0,
• Jean L. Marx, “AIDS Virus Has New Name—Perhaps,” Science 232, no. 4751 (May 9, 1986): 699–700, doi:10.1126/science.3008336.