Grethe Rask - Autopsy and Testing

Autopsy and Testing

A subsequent autopsy revealed that Rask's lungs were filled with a fungus known as Pneumocystis jiroveci, a rare type of pneumonia that mostly affected people that were immunocompromised and that is today known as a common symptom of AIDS. Rask's blood samples were assayed in Copenhagen in 1984 following extensive research on AIDS. The test was done with a very early version of ELISA and tested negative for HIV/AIDS. However, two later tests were done in the US with more advanced assays in 1987; both tested positive. Therefore, Rask is one of the first non-Africans to die of AIDS.