Where do communicable diseases originate from?

[Iamme]

All we ever hear is that if you engage in unsafe sex, you open yourself up to sexually transmitted diseases. You also hear that Aids began amongst the African people. And you hear that West Nile Virus comes from mosquitoes. And you hear that Lyme's Disease comes from deer ticks (not the more common wood tick). Etc.

I would like to know where these diseases REALLY came from. I mean, from their root source. For example: If a mosquito is a carrier of the disease...where did mosquitoes get the disease from?

Often times, the lack of an explanation for such things gives rise to the notion that these diseases are a punishment from God.

Now, I've listed a few common carrier diseases that quickly came to mind. Can you think of more? The ones where they say they came from something...and then you wonder where the 'something' got it from?

 

[TillEulenspiegel]

Well the first time I heard this I thought it was a pile of gold plated BS. The persistence of this opinion and the adherents however make it little less then fact.. That swine flu, Asian flu, Tiawan flu and other flavors ..all originate in one valley in China. This is how the pharmaceutical companies make vaccines for this years "New" flu. I have never heard an explanation in Re the mechanism as to how this works but evidently it is accepted generally as the source of the agent and vector tracked forward and backward point to this area in China.!?

Maybe 3rdtwin knows or if there is a epidemiologest or virologist they could make more sense.

 

[EvilYeti]

Well, in that valley in China its common to keep lots of different types of livestock in close quarters, which lead the development of pathogens that can leap from species to species. Some of these mutate and are able to affect humans.

That doesn't answer where the animal pathogens come from, but it should give you an idea how they can become infectious to humans.

 

[Darwin]

For what it´s worth,AIDS was "created" when a few monkey viruses combined.

 

[arcticpenguin]

West Nile affects several different species. It is fairly common in birds (in affected areas) and also can strike horses. So the mosqitos transfer the virus between infected animals of multiple species.

Lyme disease also affects deer. It is transmitted from the deer to humans by the ticks. I can't recall right now, it may also affect mice. Models have been put forward about population cycles in deer and mice affecting spread of the disease.

 

[arcticpenguin]

If you are wondering about the ultimate origins of viruses, you might read up on transposons. These are bits of DNA that can arrange to have themselves copied to different regions of the genome within a single nucleus.

As to whether viruses developed from transposons, or vice versa, I'm not sure which theory is currently predominant.

 

[Yahweh]

For what it´s worth,AIDS was "created" when a few monkey viruses combined.

In a typical day, I'd say I teach 100+ children. I've heard just about every f**ked up idea that could spawn from the depths inside these kids head, here's just a few AIDS Origin theories:

A cult of monkey worshippers captured and sacrificed monkeys, they bathed and drank the blood of the monkeys, one of the monkeys just happened to have AIDS and the cult members spread the disease in ritual group sex.

A man kept a monkey as a bet, he sold it to a meth addict, the meth addict thought it would be funny to shoot the monkey with some crank, then he shot some crank into himself with the same needle.

A man buys a monkey, he then precedes to have sex with the monkey, then he goes to jail and engages in homosexual relations with another prisoner, the other prisoner then gets out of jail and the disease spreads from there.

God put AIDS on the earth to punish homosexuals for immoral behavior.

A rabid monkey bites an exploror, the exploror then spreads the disease.

A woman wants to have the first monkey-human hybrid, so she has sex with a monkey, it doesnt work so she decides to have a normal kid later in life, unknown to her is that she the AIDS virus.

Try to come up with some of your own absurd AIDS theories...

As arcticpenguin said, I think its more likely a mosquito bit a monkey, then a person. No cults, no monkey sex.

 

[arcticpenguin]

There are no known cases of AIDS being transmitted by mosquitos. Probably it spread to humans through 'bush meat', killing & eating wild animals. I think HIV is most closely related to a virus that affect chimpanzees; they are in the same family as a bunch of other primate viruses including African Green Monkey virus.

 

[MoeFaux]

Boy, these are the cats you want to talk with:
http://www.usamriid.army.mil/
They do it all, this is where all the really heavy testing takes place.

 

[MoeFaux]

And let me just throw in a very un-pc quote from Otto & George on the topic of AIDS:

"Some as*hole f***s a monkey and now I can't shoot up with my friends."

 

[arcticpenguin]

And let me just throw in a very un-pc quote from Otto & George on the topic of AIDS:

"Some as*hole f***s a monkey and now I can't shoot up with my friends."

You should try to hang out with a higher class of people, but if the topic comes up again the next time you see Otto & George, you might mention Hepatitis C. HIV is certainly not the only blood-transmissible disease out there.

 

[MoeFaux]

You should try to hang out with a higher class of people, but if the topic comes up again the next time you see Otto & George, you might mention Hepatitis C. HIV is certainly not the only blood-transmissible disease out there.

I'm aware of that, and he's a comedian, so he's probably aware of it too, but just wanted to make a joke.

I just found this article online that's making my skin crawl:
http://cbs2chicago.com/health/health_story_269184013.html

It's doesn't transmit disease, but it still is really creepy.

 

[arcticpenguin]

I just found this article online that's making my skin crawl:
http://cbs2chicago.com/health/health_story_269184013.html

It's doesn't transmit disease, but it still is really creepy.

They don't carry diseases.

So there, you're perfectly safe.

 

[Abdul Alhazred]

In a typical day, I'd say I teach 100+ children. I've heard just about every f**ked up idea that could spawn from the depths inside these kids head, here's just a few AIDS Origin theories...

How old are these children?

 

[Prospero]

Development of HIV

The HIV virus (AIDS is the disease) is actually found in basically every animal species on earth, though called differently (SIV for Simians, FIV for Felines, etc) and is comeplete passive. HIV, it is believed, originated from SIV which mutated randomly, as happens all the time, and happened to hit that 1 in a billion combination that made it extremely mutagenic. Keep in mind that its strength is that it mutates so rapidly, thus leaving treatments moot and a vaccine unlikely. The mutation that resulted in rapid mutations probably happened a couple thousand years ago and resulted in the fairly recent creation of a virulent form with the same rapid mutagenic qualities. As for the transition between simian and human, it is widely believed that the virus entered a hunter in Africa where it is not uncommon to eat monkey meat. Probably a wound on his hand while preparing the carcus or something along those lines. As soon as it entered into the human population, it was inevitable that it would be as effective as it is. That's just HIV's story. The others probably followed similar paths, but HIV is the only one that I have continued interest in, thus the only one of which I'm fully aware of the development.

 

[reprise]

Just an update on what Prospero said. Earlier this year, genetic deconstruction of HIV pretty conclusively supports the theory that it originated when TWO simian viruses combined in the wild to produce a more virulent mutation - effectively, naturally occuring recombinant genetics produced HIV.

Out of the billions of mutations of viruses which occur in the wild, many do not significantly alter the virulence of a pathogen. A small number of those mutations will either increase or decrease the virulence of the organism.

There is very real concern among virologists that HIV as we now know it could again recombine with another virus in the wild to produce some kind of "super-virus". Even if we can never find a cure for HIV, there are many sound reasons for us to understand - the possibility of it mutating to an aggressive, uncontrollable, rapidly lethal strain is one of those reasons.

 

[Jon_in_london]

AIDS= American Invention for Discouraging Sex.

It was invented by the CIA. You lot need to be more skeptical!

 

[MoeFaux]

AIDS= American Invention for Discouraging Sex.

It was invented by the CIA. You lot need to be more skeptical!

You're trolling now, right? How insensitive.

 

[Prester John]

Disease causing organisms are just organisms that have adapted badly to their host!

Take humans, we are covered with millions (trillions) of bacteria inside and out. These do not cause us any problems and are indeed neccessary for our normal function. If some of these get into a location where they are not normally found you can, get a disease. (eg menigitis - N. Meningitidis is carried quite harmlessly by 40%+ of the population )

Some organism eg west nile virus are thought of as being pathogenic organisms. What happens is actually more complicated and over a population, different people will show many different syptoms of infection from sub clinical ie non apparent up to in rare cases death. For WNV humans are one potential host, the main one is i think birds.

I believe it is thought that organisms with more severe consequences for their host are either not well adapted to living with their host or have an accidental association. It makes little evolutionary sense for most micro-organsims to kill their host.

A well adated group of organisms would be the common cold, highly infectious, no serious consequences. The common cold is endemic throughout the world. A badly adapted organism, would be Marburg/Ebola, these have a high mortality rate. Humans are not the reseviour these viruses live in!

In summary infections from microorganisms are just a specialised case of the normal interaction we have with microorganisms, in which damage to the host (us) occurs.

 

[Prospero]

For one, I don't think it's accurate to refer to a virus as an organism. At best it's a packet of genetic information wrapped in a protein coat. There's no funtion aside from what its highly specialized adapters actions are. Reproduction is the closest you could come to an argument, but it still lacks the 4 other qualities of life.

Earlier this year, genetic deconstruction of HIV pretty conclusively supports the theory that it originated when TWO simian viruses combined in the wild to produce a more virulent mutation - effectively, naturally occuring recombinant genetics produced HIV.

reprise, I'm curious to know where you attained this information. I don't think I saw it any of the major journals...