HIV Basics

What is the origin of 'HIV' in humans?

HIV 1 the main culprit, it seems very likely came into man from a type of chimpanzee in equatorial Africa also, but not western but more central. The evidence for each HIV 1 is also very strong although an identical virus is not founded chimp, the closest thing on earth is. And you could see it as being the stage away from HIV 1 in us. How did man get infected? When did it happen? It is almost certainly that man gets infected from hunting animals in the rain forests. The hunter gets bitten. The hunter gets scratched. The hunter, his, wife, or friend cleans the monkey. He gets sometimes cut, blood transmission. And that originates an infection. My guess and here is where there is soft science, is that man was infected in the African rain forest for a significant period of time. I will dare not try to date it but people died with their disease in the rain forest.

Can we track HIV's ancestry prior to monkeys?

You may not want to ask me that question because that's unfair. We never asked anybody where is the ancient, ancient ancestor of a microbe. But with a retrovirus, you can. Because we can often track ancestral origins by looking at the DNA of a normal animal. And you'll find genes of that virus, something similar, harbored there. And you can say those genes gave rise to a virus which gave rise to the microbe. In the last issue of the Proceedings of the US National Academy of Sciences, last issue or two, I can't remember exactly, may have given a major lead to the ancient ancestral origin of this virus, from European rabbits, of all things.

Does HIV cause AIDS?

Yes, of course HIV is the cause of AIDS. There is, in my judgment, more evidence that HIV is the cause of AIDS than we have for the cause of any human disease, virtually, with perhaps the exception of a particular genetic disease where one protein abnormality like sickle cell anaemia, where you know the gene, you know the protein. You know how the protein is abnormal, and you know what that does to a red blood cell to cause the anaemia. But in terms of an infectious disease I don't know any that we have any better data. The bulk of that evidence was known by 1984 to 85. And since then it's been enormously complemented by the therapy data.

Why does HIV cause a syndrome and not a disease?

The man of the station of this viral infection was so diverse the word syndrome can mean to use has suppose to disease, because no longer do you get infected by this or that microbe that normally usual would not cause disease. But also the virus infects the brain so you can have central nervous system brain abnormalities, and the virus also leads to predilection for certain kind of cancers, most modally cancer that are cause by other viruses that are we call tama viruses. So you have this increase risk of three four five kinds of cancer, you have more increase risk from infections that are harmful that would not be harmful if you immune system is normal, especially fungal infections, infection by the fungus. Things that you don't know hear about late persons that you did not hear about so it become important and a person of HIV infected Tuberculosis also leads fort often in a HIV infected person. As this some of the viruses cause Hepatitis so a person untreated can get into serious medical problems leading often to death usual to death in wide variety of pathways.

Can I be exposed to HIV without getting infected?

Yes. You can be exposed and uninfected. It means that maybe the virus concentration you were exposed to was insufficient. You need a significant number of viral particles to initiate an infection for most viruses, for many viruses. Especially those that are so called envelope viruses area. So if you do not have enough infectious particles, successful infectious particles, that are whole, that have not been broken up in any way, then you may not be infected. Many people with heterosexual contact, males are better off to the females in that regard, do not get infected until they have a great number of sexual contacts. And so you say wow, gee, the risk is low for a man. If you had a heterosexual contact, you would be exposed, but you can get infected. But if you get the wrong person and the wrong virus tighter is high, your chance of getting infected are very high. So it is not the number, it's who. And who has a lot of virus? The person that you do not know who got infected in the last weeks, months. Because that is when the peak viremia goes way up. He or she does not know she is infected. That is the problem.

What is the biggest obstacle in the fight against HIV?

For me, when I'm asked what the greatest problem in the world is, I don't say AIDS, but I say IV drug addiction or drug addiction, period. If I could change anything in the world tomorrow it would be to get rid of that first. That would sure help a lot with AIDS and a whole host of other things, the wreckage of families, the forced prostitution, the other destroyed lives, as well as fostering a number of infections including HIV. So, anything that could reduce and get rid of intravenous drug abuse especially.

What is the future of HIV?

The future of HIV is totally unpredictable in my mind, because you speak to me of the epidemic and I can't predict human habits of the future. I can't predict the sustained interest in financial support from governments, and therefore what can I say, it's impossible to know. We also, you also realize there are new forms of HIV appearing these are recombination's between one strand and another, and well I would be really surprised if any of them had big surprises in store for us, but I can't rule it out. So if you say to me "Putting all of those things aside and pretend nothing changes what do you think five or ten years." Yeah than I can give some answers, I think we're going to face increasing hell in a good part of Africa. I think we can't yet know how bad it's going to be in parts of East Europe and China and very hard to know the future in Latin America. Thankfully we have the blood test, which I'm proud to say came out of our group in 1984. Which not only helped us link this virus to AIDs as the causative agent, but opened the door way to public health because you could follow the epidemic soon after infection and not wait until you have AIDs and protected our blood supply so that allows us not too see blood transfusion inducing AIDs all over the world and increasingly I'm happy to say more and more countries even the most remote are beginning to get the blood tested properly and this can only improve in the future.