London - Scientists traced the source of the HIV virus to wild chimpanzees in Cameroon. Researchers who analyzed wild chimpanzee doo doo said they had shown how the HIV virus originated in wild apes, tracing the spread to humans in Africa and eventually the world.Beatrice Hahn of the University of Alabama, who led the study said says that the chimpanzee group that gave rise to the HIV virus resides in Cameroon.
Studies have traced HIV to a man who gave a blood sample in 1959 in Kinshasa, then called Leopoldville. Later analysis found the AIDS virus.
In people, HIV leads to AIDS but chimps have a version called simian immune deficiency virus that causes them no harm. Humans are the only animals naturally susceptible to HIV.
AIDS was only identified 25 years ago. The virus now infects 40 million people around the world and has killed 25 million. Spread via blood, sexual contact and from mother to child during birth or breast-feeding, HIV has no cure and there is no vaccine, although drug cocktails can help control it.
0 responses so far ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment