Monkey form of HIV endemic in wild gorillas
Pastor Dale Morgan
Monkey form of HIV endemic in wild gorillas*
08 Nov 2006 18:12:47 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Patrcia Reaney
LONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - A monkey virus similar to HIV is endemic in
wild gorillas in Africa and was probably transmitted to them by
chimpanzees, researchers said on Wednesday.
About 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS.
The origins of two of the three strains of the virus in humans have been
traced back to monkeys in Africa infected with simian immunodeficiency
virus (SIV) but the source of the third has been unknown, until now.
"It is the first time that someone has done a survey among wild gorillas
to see whether they were infected with an SIV," said Martine Peeters, a
virologist at the University of Montpellier in France.
"We showed they were infected and moreover they are infected with a
virus that is closely related to HIV-1 and a particular variant O," she
added in an interview.
HIV is thought to have been passed on to humans when they slaughtered
infected chimpanzees for food. About 25 million people have died of
HIV/AIDS since the virus was identified a quarter of a century ago.
There are three strains or groups of HIV -- M, N and O. Group M is the
most common strain and has spread around the globe. Strain N is linked
to few cases in Cameroon and group O represents about one percent of
HIV/AIDS cases in Cameroon and surrounding countries.
"It is only there that we find it," Peeters explained, referring to the
O strain.
She and her colleagues collected and examined hundreds of droppings from
wild gorillas and chimpanzees living in remote forest areas in Cameroon.
The animals are still hunted for food and medicines.
An analysis of the samples showed the gorillas were infected with a
strain of SIV related to the O group. The infected gorillas lived nearly
400 kilometres (250 miles) apart so the scientists believe it is likely
SIV infection is endemic in the animals.
"We have discovered it in gorillas but we think the primary reservoir
are still chimpanzees. We think chimpanzees transmitted it to gorillas
but we don't know who transmitted it to humans -- the gorilla or the
chimp," Peeters, who reported the findings in the journal Nature, said.
How the animals acquired it is also a mystery because gorillas are
vegetarians and encounters with chimpanzees are thought to be rare.
Knowing the origin of the HIV and that is crossing species is important
for understanding what happens to the virus when it jumps species.
There is no cure or vaccine for HIV/AIDS but drugs can help to control
the replication of the virus in the body.