HHV-6: The T-Cell Killer

[Chad Irby]

In article <Pine.SOL.3.91.950515220402.16814A-100000 at corona> Patrick
O'Neil,
 patrick at corona writes:
>
>Interesting...but I find it rather difficult to believe that an
EXTREMELY 
>common virus such as HHV-6 would be THE cause of AIDS.  Certainly, it 
>cannot be ruled out as A factor but it cannot be THE factor.  
...
> How can such 
>a widespread and common virus only now cause AIDS? 
...
>Again, perhaps its existence, in addition to other viruses (like HIV)
can 
>then lead to the collapse of the immune system, but then, the same drugs 
>that work for HIV should have overlapping effects on HHV-6 (and HSV-II), 
>yet AIDS is still the result.  

I've been considering this sort of thing for a while, and I wonder if
HIV might have a different effect on the immune system than we thought.

The immune system isn't static.  It varies continually through the day and
through a person's lifetime.  Cell counts and reaction times (to new
threats)
go up and down all of the time.

So suppose HIV doesn't depress the immune system.  What if it acts more
like
a door stop?  When other factors (exposure to immunosuppressants, some 
diseases, normal variation) damage the system, suppose HIV just sort of
"gets in the way" of a normal rebound.  Like a door stop keeping a door
from swinging closed...  

--
cirby