High GUD incidence in the early 20 century created a particularly permissive time window for the origin and initial spread of epidemic HIV strains
- PMID:20376191
- PMCID: PMC2848574
- DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0009936
High GUD incidence in the early 20 century created a particularly permissive time window for the origin and initial spread of epidemic HIV strains
Abstract
The processes that permitted a few SIV strains to emerge epidemically as HIV groups remain elusive. Paradigmatic theories propose factors that may have facilitated adaptation to the human host (e.g., unsafe injections), none of which provide a coherent explanation for the timing, geographical origin, and scarcity of epidemic HIV strains. Our updated molecular clock analyses established relatively narrow time intervals (roughly 1880-1940) for major SIV transfers to humans. Factors that could favor HIV emergence in this time frame may have been genital ulcer disease (GUD), resulting in high HIV-1 transmissibility (4-43%), largely exceeding parenteral transmissibility; lack of male circumcision increasing male HIV infection risk; and gender-skewed city growth increasing sexual promiscuity. We surveyed colonial medical literature reporting incidences of GUD for the relevant regions, concentrating on cities, suffering less reporting biases than rural areas. Coinciding in time with the origin of the major HIV groups, colonial cities showed intense GUD outbreaks with incidences 1.5-2.5 orders of magnitude higher than in mid 20(th) century. We surveyed ethnographic literature, and concluded that male circumcision frequencies were lower in early 20(th) century than nowadays, with low rates correlating spatially with the emergence of HIV groups. We developed computer simulations to model the early spread of HIV-1 group M in Kinshasa before, during and after the estimated origin of the virus, using parameters derived from the colonial literature. These confirmed that the early 20(th) century was particularly permissive for the emergence of HIV by heterosexual transmission. The strongest potential facilitating factor was high GUD levels. Remarkably, the direct effects of city population size and circumcision frequency seemed relatively small. Our results suggest that intense GUD in promiscuous urban communities was the main factor driving HIV emergence. Low circumcision rates may have played a role, probably by their indirect effects on GUD.
Conflict of interest statement
Figures






Similar articles
- Circumcision status and incident herpes simplex virus type 2 infection, genital ulcer disease, and HIV infection.Mehta SD, Moses S, Parker CB, Agot K, Maclean I, Bailey RC.Mehta SD, et al.AIDS. 2012 Jun 1;26(9):1141-9. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0b013e328352d116.AIDS. 2012.PMID:22382150Free PMC article.Clinical Trial.
- Soap and water prophylaxis for limiting genital ulcer disease and HIV-1 infection in men in sub-Saharan Africa.O'Farrell N.O'Farrell N.Genitourin Med. 1993 Aug;69(4):297-300. doi: 10.1136/sti.69.4.297.Genitourin Med. 1993.PMID:7721293Free PMC article.Review.
- Serial human passage of simian immunodeficiency virus by unsterile injections and the emergence of epidemic human immunodeficiency virus in Africa.Marx PA, Alcabes PG, Drucker E.Marx PA, et al.Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2001 Jun 29;356(1410):911-20. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2001.0867.Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2001.PMID:11405938Free PMC article.
- HIV-1 DNA shedding in genital ulcers and its associated risk factors in Pune, India.Gadkari DA, Quinn TC, Gangakhedkar RR, Mehendale SM, Divekar AD, Risbud AR, Chan-Tack K, Shepherd M, Gaydos C, Bollinger RC.Gadkari DA, et al.J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirol. 1998 Jul 1;18(3):277-81. doi: 10.1097/00042560-199807010-00012.J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirol. 1998.PMID:9665506
- The causal role for genital ulcer disease as a risk factor for transmission of human immunodeficiency virus. An application of the Bradford Hill criteria.Dickerson MC, Johnston J, Delea TE, White A, Andrews E.Dickerson MC, et al.Sex Transm Dis. 1996 Sep-Oct;23(5):429-40. doi: 10.1097/00007435-199609000-00015.Sex Transm Dis. 1996.PMID:8885077Review.
Cited by
- Evidence for selection at HIV host susceptibility genes in a West Central African human population.Zhao K, Ishida Y, Oleksyk TK, Winkler CA, Roca AL.Zhao K, et al.BMC Evol Biol. 2012 Dec 6;12:237. doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-12-237.BMC Evol Biol. 2012.PMID:23217182Free PMC article.
- Origins of HIV and the AIDS pandemic.Sharp PM, Hahn BH.Sharp PM, et al.Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2011 Sep;1(1):a006841. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a006841.Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2011.PMID:22229120Free PMC article.Review.
- HIV competition dynamics over sexual networks: first comer advantage conserves founder effects.Ferdinandy B, Mones E, Vicsek T, Müller V.Ferdinandy B, et al.PLoS Comput Biol. 2015 Feb 5;11(2):e1004093. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004093. eCollection 2015 Feb.PLoS Comput Biol. 2015.PMID:25654450Free PMC article.
- HIV infection.Bekker LG, Beyrer C, Mgodi N, Lewin SR, Delany-Moretlwe S, Taiwo B, Masters MC, Lazarus JV.Bekker LG, et al.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2023 Aug 17;9(1):42. doi: 10.1038/s41572-023-00452-3.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2023.PMID:37591865Review.
- Evolutionary dynamics of HIV at multiple spatial and temporal scales.Hill AL, Rosenbloom DI, Nowak MA.Hill AL, et al.J Mol Med (Berl). 2012 May;90(5):543-61. doi: 10.1007/s00109-012-0892-1. Epub 2012 May 3.J Mol Med (Berl). 2012.PMID:22552382Free PMC article.Review.
References
- Van Heuverswyn F, Li Y, Neel C, Bailes E, Keele BF, et al. SIV infection in wild gorillas. Nature. 2006;444:164. - PubMed
- Hahn BH, Shaw GM, De Cock KM, Sharp PM. AIDS as a zoonosis: scientific and public health implications. Science. 2000;287:607–614. - PubMed
- Chitnis A, Rawls D, Moore J. Origin of HIV-1 in colonial French Equatorial Africa? AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 2000;16:5–8. - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
Related information
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical