HIV-AIDS Virus

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is still considered a newcomer among other human pathogens. As is known, is a new unknown pathogens emerge and spread in the last few decades alone.

For that reason, some researchers find the origin of the virus. At first they suspected that the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV), virus in primates was the one who gave birth to HIV. SIV virus itself allegedly was several hundred years older than HIV.

After doing some research, Preston Marx, virologist from Tulane University found otherwise. SIV virus seems to have aged at least 32 thousand years. That is, the virus was already present, you could say almost simultaneously with the appearance of humans, long before the presence of HIV.

In the study, Marx and his team tested SIV in monkeys originating from the island of Bioko, the island is separated from the continent of Africa about 10 thousand years ago.

"Apparently, Bioko SIV virus variants have a common ancestor with the virus in the African continent," said Marx, as quoted from Infection Research, 5 January 2011. "This indicates that this virus has long been present at least, maybe even much older," he said.

Marx said, the events in the 20th century has transformed the SIV virus from a monkey virus that benign plague deadly to humans. "The increase in blood transfusions and the increasing number of densely populated city has helped the spread of SIV that evolve into HIV," he said.

"If we do not find what triggers the appearance of the HIV epidemic, it is difficult to prepare them for what diseases will present the next," says Marx. "We can generate new variants of the virus without knowing how to stop or control it," he said.