To the Editor: The prevalence of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) among children in the United States has risen dramatically over the past two years.1 In addition to patients whose disease meets the diagnostic criteria of the Centers for Disease Control for pediatric AIDS, many more children may have milder disease due to HIV or may be asymptomatic. Most of these children acquire HIV from an infected mother during the perinatal period.2 There is currently no simple method for identifying infants infected with HIV. For this reason, it has been recommended that all children born to HIV-infected women should be . . .