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Virus Hunt

The Search for the Origin of HIV

Dorothy H. Crawford

A modern scientific dectective story surrounding the origin of the AIDs virus
Provides an insight into the research that found the source of the virus
Considers the history of the AIDs/HIV viruses and their initial infection in humans
Traces a scientific journey of discovery using state of the art techniques to follow the evolution of viruses

Virus Hunt

The Search for the Origin of HIV

Dorothy H. Crawford

Description

In Virus Hunt, renowned virologist Dorothy H. Crawford takes us inside one of the great research quests of our time--the search for the origin of AIDS.

From hospital intensive care wards to research laboratories to the African rain forests, Crawford follows the trail of the virus back to its roots deep in Africa. We track wild monkeys and apes through the jungle--gathering their DNA via hair and feces samples--to discover from which primates HIV first jumped to our species, ultimately concluding that the most virulent strain, HIV-1, came from chimpanzees in Cameroon. We then time travel back to colonial Africa around the turn of the 20th century, when the virus first spread to humans. But even the rapidly mutating HIV could not survive in one person long enough to adapt to our immune system. Crawford shows that it may have been given the opportunity to adapt by being transmitted rapidly from one person to the next through unsterile syringes, ironically used during a campaign to wipe out disease by mass inoculation. The book then moves to Leopoldville (now Kinshasa), where Crawford describes the unique series of social upheavals, starting in the 1920s, that sparked epidemic levels of sexually transmitted diseases, allowed HIV-1 to begin its exponential growth. And when in the 1960s chance took the virus abroad to Haiti, from where it jumped to the United States, its pandemic spread began.

Crawford tells a gripping story of brilliant scientific sleuthing, breakthrough discoveries, tragic errors, stubborn intractable mysteries, generous collaborations, and bitter disputes. And along the way, she conveys, with a light and engaging touch, a wealth of interesting observations about viruses, DNA, disease, immune systems, the very latest research methods, and of course HIV.

Virus Hunt

The Search for the Origin of HIV

Dorothy H. Crawford

Preface
Introduction: a new disease
1. The puzzle of HIV-1
2. Tracing HIV to its roots
3. The primate connection
4. From rain forest to research laboratory
5. Timing SIV cpz's jump to humans
6. A vital first step for HIV-1 group M
7. Beginning the epic journey
8. HIV-1 group M meets the challenge
9. Past, present, and future pandemics
References
Further reading
Glossary

Virus Hunt

The Search for the Origin of HIV

Dorothy H. Crawford

Author Information

Dorothy H. Crawford has been Assistant Principal for Public Understanding of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh since 2007. Her previous books include The Invisible Enemy, Deadly Companions, and Viruses: A Very Short Introduction. She was elected a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2001, and awarded an OBE for services to medicine and higher education in 2005.

Virus Hunt

The Search for the Origin of HIV

Dorothy H. Crawford

Reviews and Awards

"A wonderful source book for professionals and a highly informative, often engrossing tale for lay readers." --Kirkus

"an engrossing history" --Publishers Weekly

"This engaging work will appeal to a broad audience." --Library Journal

"Crawford privides a contemporary summary of what is known about the origins of HIV and its movement from chimpanzees and mangabeys to humans. Her writing is crisp and clear." -R. Adler, University of Michigan, Dearborn, CHOICE

Virus Hunt

The Search for the Origin of HIV

Dorothy H. Crawford

From Our Blog

HIV/AIDS: How to stop the unstoppable?

By Dorothy H. Crawford It is over 100 years since HIV, the AIDS virus, began spreading in humans. It all started in West Central Africa where, scientists calculate, HIV jumped from chimpanzees to humans around 1900. Then in 1964 the virus made its first trans-continental flight. In one move it leaped from Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. Here it established a foot-hold in Haiti before travelling on to the US in 1969. So began a journey that took HIV to virtually every country in the world, eventually infecting 65 million people, a figure that is rising by around three million annually.

Posted on December 1, 2013

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It's only a virus

By Dorothy H. Crawford 'It's only a virus.' How often do GPs utter those words over the course of a working day? They mean, of course, that your symptoms are mild, non-specific and don't warrant any treatment. If you just go home and rest you'll recover in a few days.

Posted on July 21, 2013

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The hunt for the origin of HIV

The month of May is home both to World Aids Vaccine Day (also known as HIV Vaccine Awareness Day) and the anniversary of the discovery of the AIDS virus itself. But how much do we know about where the HIV virus actually came from, and how it spread to become the global killer it is today? We spoke with Dorothy H. Crawford, author of Virus Hunt: The search for the origin of HIV, about the HIV virus and its history.

Posted on May 26, 2013

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Virus Hunt

The Search for the Origin of HIV

Dorothy H. Crawford

Author Interview

The hunt for the origins of HIV

Dorothy Crawford, author of 'Virus Hunt: the search for the origin of HIV' explains the long and difficult search for the origin of the HIV virus. She explains the process of obtaining samples from wild chimpanzees that eventually led scientists to the very south east corner of the Cameroon. http://oxford.ly/16pAfib