hiv/siv/where hiv came from

[Guest garettct]

i am doing a paper on hiv... i have picked to argue the theory that the hiv virus came from the SIV virus found in monkeys/primates in africa... but i am having a few problems so if anyone has any information they could post it would be greatly apriciated. ( i think greatly is an understatement )

 

 

 

"DNA analyses of modern-day strains of HIV show that the virus crossed the species barrier to humans not once but at least three times, forming the three main strains of HIV that infect people today. The probability that SIV coexisted in apes for thousands, perhaps millions, of years and then suddenly jumped to humans three times in a decade seems remote, unless something happened in Africa during that time that helped the natural evolutionary process along."

 

Is anyone aware of anything that happend in africa that may have excelerated the evolution/mutation process of the virus?

[admiral_ju00]

Try this: http://www.avert.org/origins.htm

 

they also have some very interesting stats and other items.

 

http://www.avert.org/statindx.htm

[Dak]

This shows a phylogenetic analysis of different strains of HIV and SIV. Whilst the tree isnt nessessaraly 100% accurate (due to the nature of phylogenetic analysis), it does show the commonly held scientific oppinion that HIV-1M evolved from SIVcpz (that is, simmian immunodificiency virus that infected chimpanzees), HIV-1N evolved from HIV-1M, HIV-1O also evolved from SIVcpz, and HIV-2 evolved from SIVsmm (ie, simmian immunodificiency virus which infected sooty mangabeys).

 

also, the prevalence of HIV-1 and the geographic origin of the virus coinsides with the habitat of Pan troglodites troglodites (a sub-species of chimps), adding further weight to the argument that HIV came from SIV; or more specifically, that HIV-1 came from a strain of SIV which infects the troglodytes subspecies of chimps (SIVcpzUS).¹

[aaronmyung]

my mates told me that HIV started simply when some guy had intercourse with a amonkey. didn't believe em so I looked it up, a lot of sources agreed with it.

[Dak]

could you provide any of those sourses?

[Bio-Hazard]

I've heard about that idea..

personally i think of a few things.

 

1. conspiracy.

2. there are always men of their time.. (advanced beyond normal people and government) we've had good ones so far.. but what if an evil one popped up? decided to make these biological diseases .. yikes.. might take 40 years until we figure something out.. maybe 50..

[Dak]

Or maybe it was from a band of super-intelligent monkeys who genetically modified one of their own viruses in an attempt to wipe out humans, who were encroaching upon their forests.

 

Or maybe, deep in the african jungles, there are groops of human and monkey heroine addicts, who sit around in circles sharing dirty needles.

 

Or maybe its the first wave of preperatory-viral bombing from the vanguard of the alpha-centurian invasion forse, in their quest to take over the earth in the name of their god, HKJkj;lkjf;aipohe pahif ;alken f;ahf the third.

 

Or maybe, just maybe, HIV evolved naturally without any interference from a/god, b/aliens, c/the american govournment, or d/any of the other people commonly blamed for the 'creation' of HIV. It may even have happened without any bestiality being involved (although im less certain on that last point... there are some very odd people in this world)

 

current thougt is that SIV was contracted by bush men, by eating contaminated monkeys, although this is more a 'buest guess' than a known fact.