Half of the principal strains of human immunodeficiency virus type HIV-1 derived from gorillas in Cameroon and made the transition to humans, infecting them through monkey meat consumption, scientists announced Monday, talking about how in which AIDS has appeared.
HIV-1, the virus that triggers AIDS, contains four groups of strains, each of which is a separate interspecies transmission of simian version of the virus, which went from monkeys to humans, reports Reuters.
Previous studies have identified a source chimpanzees in southern Cameroon in the group M HIV-1, a virus that has infected more than 40 million people worldwide and triggered the AIDS pandemic. Has the same origin and group N, limited geographically identified only about 20 people.
By the new study, the source of the other two groups, A and P, it was confirmed. New research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that the two strains originated in southern Cameroon lowland gorillas.
"Thus, it was shown that both chimpanzees and gorillas host viruses that are able to overcome the barrier between species and to reach people, causing major pandemic," said Dr. Martine Peeters virologist from the Institute of Research and Development at the University Montpellier in France.
Researchers examined fecal samples from several populations of gorillas in Central Africa, including those of the western plains, the eastern plains and mountain living in Cameroon, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, trying to detect the presence of HIV, simian version.
Genetic analysis indicated that western lowland gorillas are the source of viral groups A and P in the HIV-1.
"The mode of transmission of the virus most likely consisted of exposure to infected blood and / or infected tissues during cutting meat of hunted animals," said Martine Peeters.
A group of viruses, second-class frequency HIV-1 spread in Cameroon, Gabon, Nigeria and neighboring countries and infected more than 100,000 people. Viruses of group P were found in only two patients in Cameroon.
Scientists say that a group occurred in the early twentieth century. Group P appeared a little later in the same century.
Beatrice Hahn, a microbiologist at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, co-author of the study, believes that the human body there is inherited properties to be able to prevent viral strain of group A to be causing pandemics, as already done group M . "In this case, people were simply lucky," said the American researcher.
Another type of virus called HIV-2 is mainly restricted to West Africa, is less transmissible than HIV-1 and causes a slower progression to AIDS. This virus was transmitted to humans by a species of monkeys - sooty mangabey - living in West Africa.
Source: mediafax
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