La Dra. Beatrice Hahn y colaboradores del Instituto Nacional de Alergia y Enfermedades Infecciosas (NIAID) de Estados Unidos publicaron a principios de 1999 haber encontrado que algunos ejemplares de una supespecie de chimpancé (Pan troglodyes troglodytes) eran portadores de cepas del virus de la inmunodeficiencia del simio (VIS) estrechamente emparentadas con el VIH.
Sospechaban que el virus había cruzado la barrera entre especies y comenzado a infectar a seres humanos, lo que supondría el origen del sida. Los nuevos datos parecen confirmar la teoría de que el VIH tuvo su origen en esta subespecie de chimpancés.
Analizaron muestras de orina y fecales de 58 chimpancés salvajes en tras países africanos y encontraron que la cepa del virus SIVcpz afecta a primates en libertad, aunque sólo la encontraron en un ejemplar de Tanzania, miembro de la subespecie Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii, lo que en opinión de los autores significaría que la cepa del virus se extendió a otras regiones y a otras subespecies.
Sin embargo, la baja incidencia de infección por la citada cepa ha sorprendido a los investigadores. Opinan que tal vez puede explicarse porque tenga poca eficiencia a la hora de propagarse.
Webs Relacionadas
Science
http://www.sciencemag.org/
NIAID
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/
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