<P> By August 1982, the disease was being referred to by its new CDC - coined name: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). </P> <P> In May 1983, doctors from Dr. Luc Montagnier's team at the Pasteur Institute in France reported that they had isolated a new retrovirus from lymphoid ganglions that they believed was the cause of AIDS . The virus was later named lymphadenopathy - associated virus (LAV) and a sample was sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, which was later passed to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). </P> <P> In May 1984 a team led by Robert Gallo of the United States confirmed the discovery of the virus, but they renamed it human T lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV - III). </P> <P> Dr. Jay Levy's group at the University of California, San Francisco also played a role in the discovery of HIV . He independently isolated the AIDS virus in 1983 and named it the AIDS - associated Retrovirus (ARV). </P>

Where did hiv come from and when was it discovered in the united states