ABSTRACT
References .....................................................................................................................................349
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), appears to have evolved from the African continent. Both the HIV-1 and HIV-2 subtypes were introduced to humans through a cross-species infection from primate pathogens. Although the nature of the viral transmission remains unclear, a cross-species infection might have occurred when African primates were hunted for food. HIV-1, the
main subtype responsible for the AIDS pandemic, originated in and spread from chimpanzees in central Africa. One particular study strongly points to a particular African chimpanzee,
Pan troglodytes troglodytes
, as the natural host and reservoir for HIV-1.
