Washington, Feb 26 (IANS) Some people infected with AIDS control the progression of their illness naturally as they develop high levels of a specific molecule, a new study shows.

The authors of the study, from Spain, said the state of the molecule called ALPHA-DEFENSINAS 1-3 is associated with better control and slower progression of the disease, says a Prensa Latina report.

Approximately, five percent of the HIV positive people do not need anti-retroviral therapy as they can regulate the infection by means of the molecule, a mechanism that should be investigated, the specialists said.

The discovery opens a new path in the search for therapeutic alternatives to control AIDS, magazine Plus One reported recently.

'If we are able to stimulate the segregation of these molecules, we can get patients under control of the disease by themselves,' according to the specialists.

The experiment lasted three years, in which experts chose healthy people who were not infected by AIDS and patients infected with HIV-1.

The patients were classified in several teams, according to their personal capacity to control the progression of the disease.