K.S.H.V., the virus that causes AIDS

[T.J. Fitzmaurice]

In article <3gr0pm$qc8 at panix.com>, James Scutero <jscutero at panix.com> wrote:
>>>>[Because it is the cause of immune system breakdown-not HIV.]
>Herpes viruses are cytotoxic lymphotropic viruses that kill more different
WHAT!!! No, some sub-families are, but by no means are the herpesviruses
generally lymphotropic, HSV and the simples genus spring instantly to mind

>types of immune system cells DIRECTLY than HIV. In fact, HIV is not now

To use a military analogy, blowing away the command bunker can be a hell of
a lot more effective than destroying regiments. This is not evidence one way
or the other.
>considered to cause AIDS by directly killing cells, researchers are blaming
>the hyperactivity of the immune system for the damage that we see in AIDS.
>(Ho-Wei papers in Nature recently.) Unfortunately, when I interviewed HO on
I didn't read it quite that way.

>the day of the press announcement of his labs findings, he said that he did
>not look at the viral load level of ANY other virus. 
The paper has also come under fire from its use of quantitative PCR data,
personally I think the data still makes its point.
>
>>>>[Then HIV does not cause KS.]
>HIV does not cause KS. If people are developing KS without HIV, then how
>can HIV cause KS? If people are developing KS with intact immune systems,
>how does immune suppression cause KS? Ans: It doesn't.
I think lots of people have thought HIV doesn't cause KS, which people
have intact immune systems? And besides which, the immune suppression
as far as I've read merely allows a greater incidence of KS. Healthy people
get a lot of things, HSV spring to mind again here. Greater incidence in
the immunosuppressed, but other people get it breaking out, this is not a
logical arguement.
>
>>>>On transmission modes-[Casually and through the saliva.]
>Researchers Chang and Moore, the discoverers of K.S.H.V. stated that it
>shares a homology with epstein - barr virus. Epstein - Barr is considered
>to be the cause of infectious mononucleosis (the kissing disease) because
>it is found in saliva. HHV-6A is also found in the saliva.
Genetic homologies are not necessarily going to affirm transmission routes.
If EBV is found in the saliva therefore causing kissing disease, we have to
worry about rhinoviruses doing the same. Pleae elaborate this point as there
isn't enough here, in terms of material to discuss one way or the other.

Tim