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Genetic HIV Resistance Deciphered
hexed_2050 writes "Researchers have pin-pointed the reason why some people have a greater immunity, or in some cases, total immunity to the HIV virus. They credit a genetic defect that can be traced back to Europeans in the middle ages."
These genetics mutations are quite rare (1%) and the delta32 Mutation only protects strains of HIV that use CCR5 proteins to help them break into the cells, so yes a very few people are immune to most strains of HIV. And this is why doctors will prbably never allow people get tested for delta32 mutation.
The number of people who die from AIDS is a very strong selection pressure. Unless the epidemic is halted medically, we can expect that it won't be many generations before these mutations are nearly universal.
What is many generations in your sense? 10? 100?
Seriously, you have some simple stuff about how selection works misconcepted.
No selection when:
o as long as one who dies on AIDS already has children
o as long as one who has AIDS fathers or mothers a child
o as long as one who is not ill and has not the gene gets a child
A gene can only spread via selecion if all other individuals in a population suffer from not having the gene.
Currently a minority suffers. Having the gene or not does not influence "breeding" and thus there is no selection happening.
If at all teh selection is happening in reverse, the virus is adapting itslef to become less letal. Because while one human is dying the virus runs through 1000nds of generations.
angel'o'sphere
Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.