New Retroviruses found in Humans

[materia3]

Source: Reuters News, Fri 25 Feb 2005

full story at:
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N25165374.htm




Cameroon: 2 new human T-cell lymphotropic viruses isolated
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2 new retroviruses never before seen in humans have turned up among people who regularly hunt monkeys in Cameroon, researchers reported on Fri 25 Feb 2005. Like the AIDS virus, these viruses insert their genetic material
directly into cells and perhaps even into a person's or animal's
chromosomes. Closely related versions of the viruses cause leukemia, inflammatory, and neurological diseases.

The 2 new viruses are called human T-lymphotropic virus types 3 & 4 (abbreviated as HTLV-3 and HTLV-4). They are closely related to 2 known viruses called HTLV-1 and HTLV-2, which experts believe were transmitted to people, like HIV, from monkeys and apes.




The bushmeat trade -- people who hunt, butcher and consume primates in Africa is believed to be responsible for HIV jumping from monkeys and apes to humans.

[IIRichard]

Quote
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The 2 new viruses are called human T-lymphotropic virus types 3 & 4 (abbreviated as HTLV-3 and HTLV-4). They are closely related to 2 known viruses called HTLV-1 and HTLV-2, which experts believe were transmitted to people, like HIV, from monkeys and apes.
________________________________________________

They are called that because the discoverers are too young to remember that HIV was first called HTLV-3. These should be 4 and 5
:(

[materia3]

What you say is true but things change........

The viruses originally known as human T-lymphotropic viruses have been re-named primate T-lymphotropic because of
prevalence in monkeys and apes as well as humans.

Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 and simian T-lymphotropic virus 1 are closely related and now included as members of the same virus species:

primate T-lymphotropic virus


Likewise, Human T-lymphotropic virus 2 and simian T-lymphotropic 2 virus are now members of the same species:

primate T-lymphotropic virus


Monkey T-lymphotropic virus 3 was the sole member of the species, primate T-lymphotropic virus 3, until its human counterpart was discovered in Cameroons as reported here.

But .....Human T-lymphotropic virus 4 is an entirely new virus with a money/ape counterpart still to be detected.

[IIRichard]

Originally posted by materia3
What you say is true but things change........

The viruses originally known as human T-lymphotropic viruses have been re-named primate T-lymphotropic because of
prevalence in monkeys and apes as well as humans.

******snip


I think they should not have reused the name. This will only lead to confusion. Like Influenza.:)

[Soapy Sam]

I knew viruses mutate fast.

The names do too?

[materia3]

Well there is a good reason for all this......

HTLV-1 was first discovered in spleen cells taken
from a person with hairy cell leukemia.

HTLV-2 was found to be common in Amerindian
populations in North, Central and South America.

In industrialized countries, HTLV-3 was first found in IV
drug addicts and was spread by contaminated needles and by heterosexual, well any kind of sexual transmission. In the developing world, breast-feeding may be the primary route of transmission. This was a very unpopular finding since babies in the developing world have little else to sustain them. Anyway this one was the link to HIV/AIDS. Biologically the HTLVs were found to not differ from HIV in either genetic stability or their patterns of geographic distribution.

One politically correct belief was that the present distribution of HTLV 2 reflected its introduction into the New world at the time of the initial settlement of the American continent by the ancestors of the present day native Americans some 20 000 to 40 000 years ago. This took the onus off Africa. African leaders felt their continent was being singled out under a mantle of white controlled biased based science as the source of the HIV epidemic. This theory helped to dispel that but let's face it, it was not correct.

Given this new evidence it is relatively certain that all 4 primate T-lymphotropic viruses were transmitted to humans from African primates. Although there is scientific justification for re-naming them, perhaps this too was political. Instead of blaming the people, blame the monkeys .... when they enter the bushmeat trade and are hunted, butchered, prepped and then eaten by Africans. Another denied reality for the African pandemic is that polygamy, widespread prosititution, extreme poverty (so no
contraceptives of any kind were/are widely available), and ritual scarification (tantamount of needle sharing among non African IV drug users) is widespread in Africa. Wrap them all together and you have the basis for the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa.

Was HIV/AIDS borne out of Africa? Now without a doubt.

[Eos of the Eons]

Ech. One should outlaw Monkey meat on the menu. Try convincing them that eating primates can be likened to cannibalism.

[Badger]

Originally posted by Eos of the Eons
Ech. One should outlaw Monkey meat on the menu. Try convincing them that eating primates can be likened to cannibalism.

Eos, I understand that sometimes bushmeat is the only meat around.

And on that note, I wonder if this is one example of natural population control, in that the people have so overextended their environment that now they must pursue risky forms of nutrition in order to survive. Some of these forms of nutrition may lead to significant thinning of the population causing so much environmental pressure.

But, hey, that's just me thinking out loud.

[Eos of the Eons]

I hear more and more about the problems in Africa, and they're mostly political that result in people starving and other such preventable horrors.

I may wonder why they don't farm animals, but then I find out why. Sigh.
"In addition to the poor climatic conditions, transportation problems, storage problems, the lack of infrastructure and political corruption, you’ve got the bulk of problems Cameroonian farmers must endure," he added.
http://www.afrika.no/Detailed/5203.html

Until the political messes resolve, and they never will at this rate, then we'll keep hearing of the interesting bugs that Africa spawns.

[Dr. Imago]

Interesting... would like to see more about this...

Anecdotal aside:

I have a friend from when I used to work in the pharma industry who has been suffering from a wasting illness over the past year-and-a-half or so. He's been seen by the top infectious diseases specialists in the country, and they have not been able to pinpoint exactly what is going on. He is openly homosexual, but has been very careful about his practices. He has consistently tested negative for HIV and other sexually transmitted illnesses (e.g., Hep-B, etc.). They've tentatively labeled this "chronic fatigue" and are currently giving him supportive care. He has lost about 35 lbs, and is just a mess... a shadow of his former self. He is continuously being followed with regular blood sampling, etc., but he has not gotten "better" since this he first started clinically having symptoms. In fact, it's gotten progressively worse.

Why I share this is because it underscores what we often do not know. I'm certain that there are several illnesses out there that people are suffering from that have not yet popped onto our radar screens. It was only through careful observation and deduction that we "discovered" the HIV virus in the early 1980's.

I'm sure that, as we continue to investigate further, more and more of such viruses will pop onto our radar screens and may help to explain circumstances, such as my friend's above, that before seemed to have no explanation.

-TT

[materia3]

"The second hunter was infected with HTLV-4, a virus distinct from all previously known human or simian T-lymphotropic viruses."

"It's totally new so we don't know any other simian virus that is related to it," Hemeine said in a telephone interview.

Now the team, which includes researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, plans to look more extensively in Central Africa for the virus, Hemeine said. "They could be more widespread than we think they are," he said.

Hemeine said up to 25 million people globally are infected with HTLV-1 and 2.

Currently, specialized tests are needed to find the viruses, he said.

"It's a new virus. You pause, you say, where is this virus coming from. I don't think you should be taking it lightly," Hemeine said.

After infecting one person, simian viruses often spread from person to person through sex, mother-to-child transmission, and other exchanges of blood and body fluids.

Like HIV, the incubation period for HTLV viruses to cause disease can last decades, the CDC said.

yes, it certainly makes you wonder........

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N25165374.htm

[Skeptic Ginger]

Originally posted by ThirdTwin
Interesting... would like to see more about this...

Anecdotal aside:

I have a friend from when I used to work in the pharma industry who has been suffering from a wasting illness over the past year-and-a-half or so. He's been seen by the top infectious diseases specialists in the country, and they have not been able to pinpoint exactly what is going on. He is openly homosexual, but has been very careful about his practices. He has consistently tested negative for HIV and other sexually transmitted illnesses (e.g., Hep-B, etc.). They've tentatively labeled this "chronic fatigue" and are currently giving him supportive care. He has lost about 35 lbs, and is just a mess... a shadow of his former self. He is continuously being followed with regular blood sampling, etc., but he has not gotten "better" since this he first started clinically having symptoms. In fact, it's gotten progressively worse.

Why I share this is because it underscores what we often do not know. I'm certain that there are several illnesses out there that people are suffering from that have not yet popped onto our radar screens. It was only through careful observation and deduction that we "discovered" the HIV virus in the early 1980's.

I'm sure that, as we continue to investigate further, more and more of such viruses will pop onto our radar screens and may help to explain circumstances, such as my friend's above, that before seemed to have no explanation.

-TT If I were he I'd find additional 'top' specialists for second or third or forth opinions. I'd be interested in who the 'top' specialists were. I don't say this lightly as some people with syndromes like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue doctor shop until someone labels their disease and makes them happy. But with risk factors I am assuming your friend has by his sexual partners, (or his partner's partners, and I don't mean to imply all homosexuals are promiscuous and I believe you when you say he hasn't been but the fact remains one never knows where one's partners have been and retro viruses can have long latency periods), and with the weight loss and with the sexually transmitted retroviruses not being limited to HIV, this guy may not have yet had all available tests. I assume he's been tested for the HIV subtypes that don't show up on the typical US tests? We don't test automatically for all HIV subtypes since they all aren't common here. I'll do some checking and get back to you here.

[Dr. Imago]

Originally posted by skeptigirl
I assume he's been tested for the HIV subtypes that don't show up on the typical US tests?

Well, I didn't pry too much, but I definitively know that he was evaluated by a guy at both Emory in Atlanta and then another at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. Being in research has some unexpected perks, like easy access to some of the top physician experts in the world.

This guy also happens to be a PharmD, and he's been involved in clinical research for years. He's very particular about everything concerning his health - almost fastidious - and this translated into his work ethic too (sometimes annoyingly... but I digress). Anyway, the point is we're not dealing with someone who just takes his diagnosis and goes away quietly. He's very concerned about this, needless to say, and he has exhausted all possible avenues of currently known, as far as I know.

But, if you still know something or have any other ideas, please pass them along. I'm sure he'd be interested to know as well.

-TT

[Skeptic Ginger]

Well I hate to think I have any additional information over the best experts so let's assume I don't. But here is one article that discusses the different subtypes and notes which commercial labs cover the subtypes. I believe HIV 2 is now tested for by most US blood banks but not all lab tests automatically include it and not many doctors even know there are HIV strains not covered in every test. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol2no3/rayfield.htm

I just know from years in the medical field we only diagnose what we know. Sometimes someone else has learned something the other guy has not yet learned, no matter how expert one is in one's field. When you have physical symptoms, not just complaints, there is something underlying it. It wouldn't be just "chronic fatigue". I'd say there is something that hasn't yet manifested itself in a way that allows a diagnosis or there is something that we don't yet have a test for.

I remember the first AIDS patients before anyone knew what was going on except that more than one case was showing up in gays in the Bay area. No one knew what these guys had but we did know they had something, not just 'chronic fatigue' or some other meaningless labeled disease.

The only other possibility would be the infamous depression that seems to underlie a lot of other so called syndromes. It just doesn't sound like that from your description.

[Capsid]

I was thinking that it could be HIV-2 in this case. What about HTLV-1 and 2 also?

[Skeptic Ginger]

Originally posted by Capsid
I was thinking that it could be HIV-2 in this case. What about HTLV-1 and 2 also? Were it me, I'd want all available retrovirus tests done. But if one or more show up, there is no certainty they would be the cause of the symptoms unless the symptoms included recognized infection consequences like the leukemia associated with HTLV1.

Still, knowing any of the viruses were present would at least give one a possible path to follow in discovery, and, maybe even suggest a trial of anti-retroviral drugs which you would not find many docs prescribing based on symptoms alone regardless of how severe.