Hiv Virus Hypothesis

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The question of when the HIV virus originated is often asked, but unanswered. There are three different theories about when the transmission of HIV came about. (Hillis, D.M., 2000) The first theory, called Transmission Early Hypothesis suggests humans contracted HIV in the early 1900’s. This theory goes on to say that a small population of humans had it, but it stayed isolated within this population until the 1930’s when political changes arose in Africa and caused the virus to spread between populations. The second theory is called the Transmission Epidemic Hypothesis. This is the idea that HIV was spread from non-human primates to humans in 1930, and immediately began to spread. The last theory is called Parallel Late Transmission Hypothesis. …show more content…
With West African primates being natural harbors to the SIV virus, no one ever could have predicted the impact this virus would have on humans. In 1931, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was born. There are 12 known cross-species encounters that contribute to the origin of the HIV virus. Democratic Republic of Congo is thought to be where the first cases of HIV originated from. These zoonotic transmissions of SIV in primates to HIV in humans, account for the mass amount of individuals suffering from AIDS today. Soon, after these transmissions took place, the outbreak of HIV-1, and HIV-2 boomed. HIV-1, the predominant group, comes from chimpanzees, while HIV-2, the less common of the groups, comes from the sooty manabey monkeys. After this virus quickly infected every continent, AIDS spread like wildfire. The spread of HIV rose as these already-infected individuals engaged in intercourse, and sharing used needles with others. Also, blood to blood contact, or an HIV positive mother’s breast milk can be a considered a source of contracting this virus. It is mind-boggling to see all the implications that are dealt with since the HIV virus originated. After spending so much researching and digging to the roots of where the human immunodeficiency virus originated from, we can see how just a few cross-species transmission can impact …show more content…
E., & Picker, L. J. (2006). Pathogenesis of HIV infection: What the virus spares is as important as what it destroys. Nature Medicine, 12(3), 289-95. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nm1380

Greger, M. (2007). The human/animal interface: emergence and resurgence of zoonotic infectious diseases. Critical reviews in microbiology, 33(4), 243-299.

Hillis, D. M. (2000). Origins of HIV. Science, 288(5472), 1757.
Kondo, K. K., Johnson, M. E., Ironside, E. F., Brems, C., & Eldridge, G. D. (2014). HIV/AIDS research in correctional settings: Perspectives on training needs from researchers and IRB members. AIDS Education and Prevention, 26(6), 565-76. doi:http://dx.doi.org/101521aeap2014266565
Maartens, G., Celum, C., & Lewin, S. R. (2014). HIV infection: epidemiology, pathogenesis, treatment, and prevention. The Lancet, 384(9939), 258-271.

Marx, P. A., Apetrei, C., & Drucker, E. (2004). AIDS as a zoonosis? Confusion over the origin of the virus and the origin of the epidemics. Journal of medical primatology, 33(5‐6), 220-226. Sharp, P. M., Bailes, E., Chaudhuri, R. R., Rodenburg, C. M., Santiago, M. O., & Hahn, B. H. (2001). The origins of acquired immune deficiency syndrome viruses: where and when?. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 356(1410),

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