Origin of AIDS: contaminated polio vaccine theory refuted.
Despite strong evidence to the contrary, speculation continues that the AIDS virus, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), may have crossed into humans as a result of contamination of the oral polio vaccine (OPV). This 'OPV/AIDS theory' claims that chimpanzees from the vicinity of Stanleyville--now Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of Congo--were the source of a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIVcpz) that was transmitted to humans when chimpanzee tissues were allegedly used in the preparation of OPV. Here we show that SIVcpz is indeed endemic in wild chimpanzees of this region but that the circulating virus is phylogenetically distinct from all strains of HIV-1, providing direct evidence that these chimpanzees were not the source of the human AIDS pandemic.
Worobey
Michael
M
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA. worobey@email.arizona.edu
Santiago
Mario L
ML
Keele
Brandon F
BF
Ndjango
Jean-Bosco N
JB
Joy
Jeffrey B
JB
Labama
Bernard L
BL
Dhed'A
Benoît D
BD
Rambaut
Andrew
A
Sharp
Paul M
PM
Shaw
George M
GM
Hahn
Beatrice H
BH
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000821:virology*; D000354:Africa, Western; D000818:Animals; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D002679:Pan troglodytes / Q000145:classification / Q000821:virology; D010802:Phylogeny; D011055:Poliovirus Vaccine, Oral / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000235:genetics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*
D011055:Poliovirus Vaccine, Oral