Is it possible for HIV to become airborne through mutation?

Question

I don't hear much discussion over it, and that surprises me.

Answer 1

HIV can only live for about 15 minutes outside of a human body, because it needs the physiological environment that our bodies provide it with.

There is also no pressure of selection on it to mutate a strategy other than it's current pathology: evolution works by destroying the ones that aren't fit, and sexual transmission works wonderfully for HIV, so there is no pressure on the species to change.

Answer 2

From what I understand HIV is not an airborne or food borne virus. However, many people infected with the virus have a string of other diseases such as Tuberculosis (TB) which is airborne. TB is contagious and is actually the number one killer of people with HIV. Anyway it might be possible because there are many different strands of HIV and the mutations are just occurring at an acelerating rate that this could possibly happen in the future. We just don't know for sure but as of right now its not possible.

Answer 3

NO, HIV Is a virus and virus's are only alive in there host cells because there is no metabolic activity in there body.... More ever HIV dies 90 sec after hitting air so it is highly unlikely that it would even be airborne. Even though HIV is becoming immune to protease inhibitors but we see very little change in its composition so it would still die after hitting air

Answer 4

I've never thought of that but virus mutation and resistance is unpredictable so who knows how it will evolve over the years. If that did happen the world would have one pandemic on it's hands that could possibly take the entire population of earth out. It's scary to think about that happening but it could be a possibility one day.

Answer 5

can HIV be airborne? of course!

but I think what you mean is can it be transmitted through airborne droplets and the answer is no.

why not? because of the way HIV infection occurs. For it to be transmissible through an airborne route it would have to be able to bind to and enter cells in our respiratory system and they just don't have the viral receptors to do that..... yet.

Answer 6

confident, that's the fourth physique fluid to have the suitable volume of HIV. even nevertheless, in case you have been to drink at your age, you will be lots much less lots extra probable to get HIV. It has to bypass with the help of way of your digestive tract, it particularly is spectacular at killing the HIV virus. toddlers are lots extra probable to get HIV considering the undeniable fact that they've now no longer geared up up an immune equipment yet, and their immune technique comes from the supplements and supplements and minerals placed in a mom's breast milk.

Answer 7

I don't think so. The only way to get HIV is by exchanging bodily fluids with someone who has the HIV virus.

Answer 8

It is theoretically possible, just not likley. That would be a huge mutation.

Its kinda like someone saying that its possible for a human to be gills. Possible, far from probable.

Answer 9

anything is possible...thats evolution....if humans evolved from amoeba to apes to humans whats to say hiv can't become airborne? too there are species alive today that evolving every single day.

Answer 10

no viruses need a host cell to survive. a virus is a non-cellular particle that contains dna or RNA in this case RNA. that's why its hard for scientists to kill HIV because its a retrovirus meaning it forever changes its structure yet always needs a host cell.