Viral Load levels of HIV and HHV-6A

[James Scutero]

wlucas at WARREN.MED.HARVARD.EDU writes:
>          As a reply to JM Scutero:
>
>             You use the estimate that 80% to 90% of the population is
>          infected with HHV-6 before the age of 4 to argue a
>          correlation between this virus and AIDS.  You even claim
>          "... this is a very high correlation."  Although I admit
>          that I don't have current statistics, I'm sure that 80-90%
>          of the population is not developing immune deficiency.  If
>          you see a correlation between these two sets of people, I
>          would suggest that you re-evaluate the methods you use to
>          make comparisons and correlations.  You might even find that
>          it alters your original thesis.
>
>          Bill
>

How can HHV-6A be so prevalent and still be the cause of "AIDS"?

I'll let Alfred S. Evans answer that for you from his review
in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes 
2:107-113, "Does HIV Cause AIDS? An Historical Perspective",
pg. 109:

"...If I understand this correctly, it suggests that infectious
agents with a low frequency of clinical illness among the
infected cannot be assumed to be the cause of the disease. This
argument of low frequency of clinical illness goes against
compelling laboratory and clinical evidence that many virus
infections cause many more subclinical than clinical infections,
as exemplified by poliomyelitis, hepatitis, and herpes infections
(39). Cofactors are usually needed for the emergence of clinical
disease among those infected with the agent, although we know
little about what these factors are. I have called these the
'clinical illness promotion factors'(40)."

39. Evans AS. Concepts and Methods. In: Evans AS. ed. Viral
infections of humans. Epidemiology and control. New York: Plenum
Press. 1982:3-42.

40. Evans AS. The clinical illness promotion factor: a third
ingredient. Yale J Biol Med 1982:55:193-9.
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-James M. Scutero