City health officials are working to track down sex partners of a man diagnosed with a rare strain of highly drug-resistant HIV that progressed rapidly to AIDS. The virus was found in a man in his mid-40s who had unprotected sex with other men, often while using crystal methamphetamine, an addictive stimulant, health officials said Friday. “We are not aware of another case like this in the United States, or elsewhere,” said Dr. Ron Valdiserri, deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention. Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden said the rare HIV strain is “difficult or impossible to treat.” The New York Times, citing a person familiar with the case whom it did not identify, reported Saturday that the man was believed to have had unprotected sex with hundreds of people. The man -- who had not previously undergone antiviral drug treatment -- was diagnosed with the rare strain in December 2004. He apparently had been infected recently after years of having unprotected anal intercourse. The city has not released his name, but health officials are trying to locate his sex partners to offer them testing.
