How did the AIDS virus originate?

Question

Actually the first case was with five gay men in Los Angeles not New York

Answer 1

barney,

Diseases have to start somewhere. Some originated in Europe, some in Asia, some in North America. It all depends on where the mutating DNA or RNA--and all DNA mutates--formed this particular virus.

It seems to have begun in monkeys. The Simian Immunodeficience Virus is extremely similar to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, and shows evidence of what is called zoonosis, or "species jump," transfer from one species to another. There are a few viruses that do this, cowpox is one old example, and then there's bird flu for another.

So for SIV to become HIV would not be a surprise. And it doesn't have to be through sexual contact, either. I saw a report a couple of years ago saying that one-third of the monkey meat in markets in Cameroon was infected with SIV, and another one telling of a pair of laboratory workers who were stuck with needles that had been used on SIV-positive monkeys, and both of them later tested positive for HIV antibodies.

From the spread of the disease--and the extrapolation is a little uncertain because records were not well kept in Africa in the 1930s--it started in equatorial Africa somewhere in the mid '30s. It was transferred to humans through the eating of monkey meat and spread from there. It wasn't through sexual contact but through blood in butchering and eating monkey meat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS_origin

Answer 2

Well one theory is that two seperate primate viruses mutated to form a new virus, the AIDS virus, and that a human hunted a monkey down with this new virus and it infected the person when the animals' blood got into a cut on him or he ate the monkey's flesh.

It is a question with no real one-solution answer.

Answer 3

In the 1970's a host of new exotic diseases started spreading around the world as a result of increasing mobility. One such was 'Green monkey disease' which seems to be unheard of now. When the cause of AIDS was being investigated one of the vectors being looked at was the e coli bacterium. The other big story at the time was DNA and genetic engineering.

Answer 4

From African monkeys infected with virus, transported to the United States back as early as 1970.

Answer 5

web site under has a sturdy assessment of the theories. maximum suitable threat is that a simian virus (that effects monkeys) crossed species and contaminated people. It wasn't in a vaccine. It probable contaminated people whilst they have been uncovered to monkey blood. Aloha

Answer 6

If you believe the conspiracy theories on the Internet it was deliberately introduced by the US government as a kind of biological warfare. Odd that it first appeared in the gay community in New York - that's rather a long way from any African monkeys....

Answer 7

the first recorded case of acquired immune deficiency syndrome originated in the gay communes of 1970's new york.

Answer 8

It might have been from a polio vaccine scientist were experimenting with.It is a hard virus toctach and transspecies is unlikely.

Answer 9

See Horowitz's book EMERGING VIRUS'S AIDS AND EBOLA. Short answer it was created in the lab at Ft. Dettrick Maryland.

Answer 10

This MUST be a mutant mixture of several diseases within the human body arrived at over milleniums.