French researchers have identified 14 adults who have been able to control their H.I.V. infection for years after stopping treatment with antiviral drugs, a finding that suggests that some patients might be able to achieve a so-called functional cure.

The report comes only two weeks after doctors in the United States announced that a baby born in Mississippi had apparently been cured of infection with the virus that causes AIDS.

In both cases, scientists said, a crucial element appears to be initiating drug treatment shortly after the infection occurs, though that is not always practical. In the case of the French patients, treatment began within several months of infection, faster than is the case for most adults.

The researchers, who reported their findings this week in the journal PLOS Pathogens, estimated that as many as 15 percent of people who start treatment early and continue for at least a year might then be able to control the virus without treatment, relieving them of a lifelong daily drug regimen.