Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site cbosgd.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!rbg From: rbg@cbosgd.UUCP (Richard Goldschmidt) Newsgroups: net.med Subject: re: A Lay question about AIDS? Message-ID: <718@cbosgd.UUCP> Date: Thu, 17-Jan-85 08:04:04 EST Article-I.D.: cbosgd.718 Posted: Thu Jan 17 08:04:04 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 18-Jan-85 03:01:17 EST References: <182@ttidcc.UUCP> Organization: Silver Lining, Columbus Bell Labs Lines: 26 Never fear, your paranoid interpretation is just a delusion :-) >It is rumored that AIDS may be part of a biological-warfare experiment >being performed by our own military. The rumor contends they are testing a >virus that attacks only people with certain specific body chemistry. >Ultimate goal: a bug that kills only Russians (for example). Legionaire's >Disease is said to have been a prototype. > >The Polymath (Jerry Hollombe) {vortex,philabs}!ttidca!ttidcc!hollombe Legionaire's disease has been around for at least 50 or 60 years, since they have found anti-bodies against it in human serum collected long ago. It is probably much older than that, and just wasn't recognized as a separate form of pneumonia even though it primarily affects immune-compromised people. A recent Science article suggested two possible origins for AIDS. The one I like best is that it is a mutant form of a chicken virus. As part of some voodoo ceremonies Haitian men bit the heads off live chickens, and came in contact with the chicken virus. It spread through the male prostitutes who participated in the cult, and when these prostitutes were exported to the U.S. they spread the disease. The other origin suggested was from Africa several hundred years earlier. So it seems rather unlikely that this provides an instance of biological warfare. Rich Goldschmidt {ucbvax,ihnp4,decvax,allegra} !cbosgd!rbg ARPA: cbosgd!rbg@ucbvax