title: AIDS. Origins of HIV.
abstract: Establishing the date when immunodeficiency viruses were transmitted from nonhuman primates to humans should provide a clue to the origin of the AIDS pandemic. In his Perspective, Hillis discusses an important analysis of the molecular divergence of SIV and HIV genes (Korber et al.). This analysis establishes 1931 as the date of origin of the HIV-1 M-group viruses (the principal cause of the AIDS pandemic). Hillis discusses three possible hypotheses of immunodeficiency virus transmission that are consistent with this date.
authors.affiliation: Section of Integrative Biology and the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA. dhillis@mail.utexas.edu
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Hillis
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology*; D000349:Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D000818:Animals; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D015752:Genes, env; D015750:Genes, gag; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D002679:Pan troglodytes; D010802:Phylogeny; D016097:Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D013997:Time Factors; D015047:Zoonoses