HIV And AIDS Lecture Part 1

Discovery of HIV
1981: Unusual spread of Pneumocystis pneumonia in young
homosexual men in San Francisco with no previous history of
immunodeficiency
1983: Montagnier identified a previously unknown retrovirus as
the cause of this deficiency (received Nobel prize in 2008)
Virus was called HIV and disease was called AIDS
Origin: HIV evolved from Simian virus that infects chimpanzees
Four groups of high risk individuals were identified:
Homosexuals Hemophiliacs Heroin addicts Haiti immigrants