The patient received bone marrow from a donor that had a deletion of 32 base pairs in the CCR5 allele, which causes a resistance to HIV, according to the report.

This absence of base pairs — fundamental parts of DNA — exists in approximately 1 percent of Caucasians.

CCR5 is one of the ways that HIV enters a cell, along with attaching a CD4 receptor on the surface of the cell.

“That means that the virus can’t dock and (the person) becomes resistant to infection,” said Stephen Brown, medical director for the AIDS Research Alliance in Los Angeles, who is familiar with the report. “It’s a lot more difficult for them to get it — if they were to get virus injected in to blood, they could potentially get infected, but it’s a hell of a lot harder.”

The report stated trials of this kind conducted in the past had been unsuccessful.

The treatment was led by Gero Hütter, who is with the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Hütter also co-authored the report.

He was unable to be reached for comment.

The Charité is one of Germany’s oldest hospitals, according to its Web site.

Twenty months after the transplant, the patient showed no signs of viral rebound, according to the report.

Bone marrow transplants aren’t easy, Brown said.

“The reason he needed (a transplant) is that he had a kind of cancer that required it,” Brown said.

“They figured that as long as they had to do the transplant, they would find someone who was a match on the bone marrow and two, who had this very rare mutation.”

The chances of finding a donor whose marrow was compatible and also carried the double mutation required was very small, he said.

Treatments for HIV/AIDS patients include a medicine cocktail — a combination of pills.

Erica Phillipich, health educator in the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Olin Health Center, said one of the perceptions students have is that they are not at risk of contracting HIV.

“It’s important to remember that there is currently no cure, but treatment options,” Phillipich said. “It’s important for each person to weigh the benefits and possible consequences of having sex and decide with their partner what the best option of protection is.”

Olin offers free and anonymous HIV testing, she said.

Jacob Distel, executive director of the Lansing Area AIDS Network, said people still need to be vigilant, even in light of new research.

“I don’t want there to be this false hope,” Distel said.

“It’s really critical that people continue being tested and that individuals and communities know that the risk is out there.”