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Q.

What is the origin of HIV?

Asked by menaka menaka, 03 Dec '09 06:33 pm
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Answers (9)

 
1.

It is now generally accepted that HIV is a descendant of a Simian Immunodeficiency Virus because certain strains of SIVs bear a very close resemblance to HIV-1 and HIV-2, the two types of HIV. HIV-2 for example corresponds to SIVsm, a strain of the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus found in the sooty mangabey (also known as the White-collared monkey), which is indigenous to western Africa.
The more virulent, pandemic strain of HIV, namely HIV-1, was until recently more difficult to place. Until 1999, the closest counterpart that had been identified was SIVcpz, the SIV found in chimpanzees. However, this virus still had certain significant differences from HIV. In February 1999 a group of researchers from the University of Alabama1 announced that they had found a type of SIVcpz that was almost identical to HIV-1. This particular strain was identified in a frozen sample taken from a captive member of the sub-group of chimpanzees known as Pan troglodytes troglodytes (P. t. troglodytes), whic ...more
Answered by Deepak Joshi, 03 Dec '09 06:59 pm

 
  
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2.

HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, probably originated in non-human primates in sub-Saharan Africa and was transferred to humans during the late
Answered by saranathan Narasimhan, 04 Dec '09 04:59 pm

 
  
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3.

Unsafe sex with too many/infected partners,blood transfusion from impure/infected source
use of used/contaminated syringes
Answered by anil garg, 03 Dec '09 09:08 pm

 
  
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4.

It is a contegious disease and mostly prostitutes are the victims, and random sex without precautionhelps it spread
Answered by paresh ghoshal, 03 Dec '09 06:59 pm

 
  
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5.

From monkeys
Answered by dhanendra kumar jain, 03 Dec '09 06:41 pm

 
  
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6.

The origin of AIDS and HIV has puzzled scientists ever since the illness first came to light in the early 1980s. For over twenty years it has been the subject of fierce debate and the cause of countless arguments, with everything from a promiscuous flight attendant to a suspect vaccine programme being blamed. So what is the truth? Just where did AIDS come from?

The first recognised cases of AIDS occurred in the USA in the early 1980s (more about this period can be found on our history of aids page). A number of gay men in New York and California suddenly began to develop rare opportunistic infections and cancers that seemed stubbornly resistant to any treatment. At this time, AIDS did not yet have a name, but it quickly became obvious that all the men were suffering from a common syndrome.

The discovery of HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, was made soon after. While some were initially resistant to acknowledge the connection (and indeed some remain so today), there is now cl ...more
Answered by MajorVLoganathan, 03 Dec '09 06:36 pm

 
  
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7.

Medical science is also not sure abt that.
Answered by Rajiv Parmar, 03 Dec '09 06:36 pm

 
  
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8.

Its human libido
Answered by Satyakam Nayak, 03 Dec '09 06:35 pm

 
  
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9.

One cant be specific abt this... people say that even cancer could cause hiv
Answered by madhava rajan, 03 Dec '09 06:34 pm

 
  
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