[Ahban]

You seem to know a lot about this. I have heard some reports that the strain of HIV common in America is not the same one that is common in Africa. The one in Africa kills at a much slower rate, but is easier to pass along through hetereosexual intercourse. The strain dominant in America is more virulent, but harder to spread- it almost always takes drug using or rump ranging activities to go from one person to another. Do you have any info on that theory?

[David Hunter]

You seem to know a lot about this.

I should do, I have a PhD. in Microbiology.

I have heard some reports that the strain of HIV common in America is not the same one that is common in Africa.

Yes, there are several clades of HIV-1, and two distinct species of the virus: HIV-1 and HIV-2.

The HIV-1 clade D strain usually found in the lake Victoria region of Sub-Saharan Africa causes a more speedily progressing disease than the clade C virus commonly found in North America. The clade D virus can obviously spread by heterosexual intercourse because that's the main infection method in that area.

The one in Africa kills at a much slower rate, but is easier to pass along through hetereosexual intercourse.

HIV-2 usually causes a disease with a lower mortality rate than the AIDS caused by HIV-1, but HIV-2 is usually only found in North Africa. It is very rare outside Africa and is actually an SIV originally from sooty mangabey monkeys. HIV-1 is believed to be most closely related to another SIV called ANT-70 from chimpanzees.