The
epidemiological relationship between HIV Human Immunodeficiency virus &
AIDS is casual and appears not to be related.
HIV Isolation
HIV virus has
never been
isolated. Direct isolation & purification of the so called HIV virus from
the blood of an AIDS patient or from an HIV +ve individual has never been
reported.
Electron microscopic
evidence that has been reported has originated from cell culture systems &
never directly from patients. Till date publications of Electron microscopy
pictures of HIV have not satisfied the morphological features required for
diagnosis of retroviral particles.
For confirming
the
presence of HIV virus, there is a mandatory requisite of reverse transcriptase
activity. In case of HIV, this activity is not of viral origin but of cellular debris
origin, the result of processing the tissue sample examined.
The PCR test
The PCR test used
to measure
viral load in patients is not a scientifically approved method. Even when PCR
shows high viral load Electron microscopy has never correlated by demonstration
of the HIV particle from the plasma.
There are certain
scientific criteria required to prove that any infective disease is caused by a
germ. HIV virus does not satisfy Koch’s postulates or the Bradford–Hill
criteria required for proving itself as an infection or as the cause of AIDS.
Dubious
definition
of AIDS?
Acquired Immuno
Deficiency Syndrome is defined as the presence of one or more of 30 (AIDS
defining) illnesses. This definition holds true even if the evidence of HIV
infection is absent.
While TB with
HIV is
AIDS, many diseases are classified as AIDS without the HIV +ve status. for e.g.
Kaposi’s sarcoma is AIDS, even if HIV negative.
Furthermore,
Many of the
AIDS defining diseases may be present without immunodeficiency, eg Kaposis
sarcoma may occur without underlying immunodeficiency. Hence whether AIDS is contagious or sexually
transmitted can be logically questioned.
HIV +VE may not mean
that the patient has HIV infection
HIV testing is
done by ELISA
& WESTERN BLOT tests, both of which are non-specific.
70 different diseases
or
conditions can cause false positive HIV test. E.g. hepatitis, leprosy, TB,
renal failure, influenza, tetanus or other vaccination, respiratory infection, pregnancy,
malaria, circulating immune complexes, Rheumatoid arthritis, SLE, CT disease,
Cancers, lymphoma, multiple blood transfusions, jaundice, Multiple sclerosis,
Anti sperm antibodies – as in anal intercourse, Epstein Barr virus, HLA
antibodies, blood antibodies, etc.
So one may end
up with a
verdict of HIV +ve for a lifetime, by mere virtue of having suffered another
unrelated disease (without any connection to HIV)
Immunodeficiency and Opportunistic Infections
Immunodeficiency
refers
to a deviation of some parameters of immunity and not complete immune absence.
Immunity is of two types; Acquired and Innate (by birth) Immunodeficiency is
not necessarily a decrease in overall immunity, but a decrease in acquired
immunity, while preserving the innate immunity of birth.
Thus failure of
nonspecific
immune mechanisms causes AIDS.
Interestingly,
Stress syndrome
caused by any severe unrelated illness can cause a fall in T cell count. This
is because catabolic states of illness causes muscle breakdown and a fall in
proteins required for cellular defence mechanisms. This leads to T cell deficiency,
which will suppress the body’s symbiotic bacteria causing vacant spaces in
tissues. Opportunistic germs are quick to occupy this vacancy and multiply to cause
Opportunistic infections.
HIV treatment
with drugs
Many drugs used
to treat
AIDS are immune-suppressants themselves, so their use cannot be justified to
treat Immunodeficiency.
These drugs are
immuno-toxic
& may cause a fall in immunity and sometimes precipitate any of the 30 AIDS
defining illnesses. Besides lifelong therapy with these immuno-suppressants will
not only kill viral DNA (beneficial) but also human cellular DNA as an adverse
effect.
The consequence
of severe
drug toxicity may be death, so death by AIDS may also be because of drug
overtreatment and not just because of the AIDS disease process.
Independent researchers
of Clinical Immunology in New York have said that AIDS may be a toxic
nutritional syndrome caused by immunological stressor agents.
References:
INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE
ON VALIDITY OF HIV / AIDS PROGRAMME, Academy of Nutrition improvement, Nagpur, 30
Jan 2000
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