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From: ARJ91%GENESEO.BITNET@mvs.oac.ucla.edu
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
Subject: RE: (2882)      RE: HIV as genetic weapon
Message-ID: <1991Jan10.235307.499@cs.ucla.edu>
Date: 10 Jan 91 15:53:00 GMT
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My background is in medicine and I am familiar with the literature on the
origins and spread of HIV.  For anyone who wants to know what the scientific
community knows about these topics there is an excellent summary and
bibliography in Nature, vol 348, 13 December 1990, p. 578, entitled "Origin
and Spread of AIDS," by A. Karpas, of the Dept. of Haematology, Cambridge
University.

A summary:  the first know case was the death of a British sailor, and later,
a Norweigin sailor, in 1959 and 1960, respectively.  The origins of HIV are
traced to African monkeys with a related lentivirus, the first of which was
isolated from a macaque.  A plasusible explanation for the transfer of HIV
to humans was propsed in 1987 by Noireau, and is well considered by some
circles: it has been noted that members of the Idjwi tribe in East Zaire would
spread blood from freshly killed monkeys on the male and female genital regions
to stimulate intense sexual activity.  It is believed that that the later
introduction of syringe based innoculations (with syringes being widely reused)
was able to foster the spread of HIV from isolated populations, etc.

As a final note I would suggest a little bit of informal study on HIV, viral
infections, retroviruses, etc. to anyone who seriously believes the "conspiracy
theory accts. heretofore presented.  Even that which appear in Randy Shilts
book would be helpfel in identifying some of the rather large gaps in the
theories that are being proposed.

alex