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Since the first accounts of diagnosing the Immune Deficiency virus now called AIDS, we heard about the possible origins of the syndrome. Well, now the spread of HIV can be traced back to about 80 chimpanzees.
The chimps in Africa, infected about three bush-meat hunters circa 1921. This origin is according to a new book titled The Origins of AIDS reviewed by The New York Times.
Jacques Pépin, MD, an infectious disease specialist, is the author.
Scientists have determined that the M group—one of HIV-1’s four genetic groups, which accounts for 99 percent of all HIV cases—reached humans around 1921. Using data from that era, Pépin was able to make his calculations. He argues that since sex alone was not enough to spread the virus widely, there were several “amplifiers” along the way, including blood-borne routes such as unsterile equipment at immunization clinics and plasma centers.
Most of this post: POZ.COM
1 comment:
Chimps tend to form geographically distinct communities. By genetically analyzing the feces, researchers could trace individual infected chimps.
The team found some chimp communities with infection rates as high as 35 percent, while others had no infection at all.
It took decades to formulate a more precise method to test the feces of the groups. I heard there were 10,000 samples. Not fun. But the research is conclusive.
What is astonishing is the harvesting of bush meat continues today. Africa is still the most devastated continent pertaining to AIDS related death. Yet the desperate economic and ecological situation forces people to hunt wildlife.
Thanks for the post.
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