The Source of AIDS

[Martha_05]

The Source of AIDS
Less than 20 years ago, AIDS came seemingly out of nowhere and developed into a global epidemic. AIDS came from somewhere, of course, but scientists have had great difficulty tracking down its origin. An international team led by Feng Gao of the University of Alabama at Birmingham may have found the answer. Based on extensive field work and genetic studies, they conclude that HIV-1, the main AIDS virus, is closely related to a virus that infects one specific kind of chimpanzee: Pan troglodytes troglodytes, a subspecies that lives in the same part of Africa where AIDS first appeared in humans. The chimp virus has evolved so that it does not kill its host. When the virus jumped to humans, however, it proved lethal. HIV now infects 35 million people around the world.

Nobody knows how HIV first crossed the species barrier. But widespread hunting and butchering of chips in Africa means that people are continuing to expose themselves to the simian virus. The plummeting chimpanzee population also means scientists may not have long to study the natural evolution of the virus, which could assist in the search for a vaccine for AIDS. A meeting of the American Zoological Association later this month will discuss how to save the wild chips. The new findings also raise concern about the possibility that transplanting animal organs into humans (a practice called xenotransplantation) might accidentally bring other diseases along for the ride. Gao's report, along with a related commentary, appears in the February 4 issue of Nature.

--Corey S. Powell
Posted 2/4/99
Discover Magazine

[marvinguevara]

How scientists still have not foun a cure for AIDS and how they have not been able to trace back the virus to its original hosts. In the meantime, millions are infected, and thousands are dying.

What is also troublesome is the lack of effort from the part of the U.S. government to fund preventive programs. For example, in the U.S. 40% of AIDS cases accur among injecting drug abusers, and the majority of pediatric AIDS cases occur among children born to injecting drug users or their partners. Yet despite results from recent government inquiries demonstrating that needle-exchange programs can reduce HIV cases among drug users by 30%, the government have refused to lift the ban on federal funding for those programs since they argue that those programs send the wrong messages to children. GO FIGURE!!!!!

THANKS CAPPY FOR YOUR INFO. SINCE THE SPREAD OF AIDS CONTINUES AND IS AN ISSUE WE ALL NEED TO CONSIDER.

[touristo]

The reason AIDS is so hard to trace is because it is man made. It showed up in Africa first because it was introduced via a smallpox vacination program back in the 70's. It was created in a lab in Maryland.