A Modest Proposal

[pp000165 at interramp.com]

In article <199409202025.QAA00361 at ducie.cs.umass.edu>, 
<bogus at no.return.address> writes:
> Path: interramp.com!psinntp!rutgers!biosci!no.return.address!bogus
> From: bogus at no.return.address (Underdog)
> Newsgroups: bionet.virology
> Subject: Re: Re: A Modest Proposal
> Date: 20 Sep 1994 13:26:19 -0700
> Organization: BIOSCI International Newsgroups for Molecular Biology
> Lines: 58
> Sender: daemon at net.bio.net
> Distribution: world
> Message-ID: <199409202025.QAA00361 at ducie.cs.umass.edu>
> NNTP-Posting-Host: net.bio.net
> 
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> tobin at fcs260c.ncifcrf.gov writes:
> 
> > For those that missed the post in question, the author wants to crate
> > a recombinant virus (RSV?) that will immunize females against sperm
> > proteins.  Supposedly, their immune systems would then neutralize sperm
> > and prevent fertilization.
> 
> No, that's what they are trying to do at CSIRO with rabbits. I proposed that 
a
> different approach should be used for the human species, because of 
objections
> you raise later
> 
> > Problems:
> > 1.    Although over-population is a real problem, underpopulation could
> >       also hurt the global society.
> 
> Society would change greatly of course. Probably for the better. Less
> resources allocated for reproduction means more resources allocatable to
> improving the quality of life.
> 
> > 2.    Virus would need to constantly replicate to induce enough sperm-
> >       specific IgA in the vaginal canal.
> 
> Not necessarily. For example, if the immunological target was proteins
> imvolved in implantation, rendering the host sensitive to these proteins 
might
> be enough. Repeated exposure to an endemic vector would repeatedly boost the
> stimulated host immune response.
> 
> > 3.    The pupetrators would have a great deal of control over where the
> >       infection starts, etc. and who would first be immunized against
> >       the vector.
> 
> The ideal scenario would be to release the agent simultaneously in all the
> densely overpopulated urban areas of the world. From there it would quickly
> spread to non-urban populations.
> 
> > 4.    Immunization against the vector would defeat the purpose.  This would
> 
> >       be done in developed countries within a few years of discovering
> >       the crime.  Thus this is a formula for reducing the population of
> >       the _developing_ world only.  If this is reprehensible, then here
> >       is another problem!
> 
> There are lots of viruses that have no effective vaccines against them,
> including the common cold. I propose to start with one of these. I
> specifically want to avoid making it easy for wealthy countries could evade
> the agent.
> 
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> 

Recomb.  produced magainins, antibiotic peptides originally
obtained from African clawed frogs (X. laevis) are
being explored for spermicide/antibiotic uses.  According to
research with hamster and human sperm they cause sperm
paralysis at safe concentration levels and kill
microorganisms at the same time. 

Ref: Grenard: Medical Herpetology. 1994.





he same time.