Finding Related To SIV In Monkeys Could Shed Light On HIV In Humans, Researchers Say

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Researchers "believe they have found a 'missing link' in the evolution of the virus that causes AIDS," based on findings from a study – published in the journal Nature – that examines simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) in monkeys, the AP/Boston Globe reports (Borenstein, 7/23). The results of the study "contradict previous evidence suggesting that chimpanzees were immune from AIDS and that SIV infections in the species were harmless," according to the AP/Chicago Tribune (Mullen, 7/23). Researcher Beatrice Hahn of the University of Alabama at Birmingham said, "Our findings allow us to look at HIV from a new angle, comparing and contrasting chimpanzee and human infections." In addition, "She said that comparisons of the viruses that cause AIDS in chimpanzees and humans could lead to new insights into the responses of the immune systems in both species," the Times reports (Altman, New York Times, 7/22).