Unrecognized "AIDS" in Monkeys, 1969-1980: Explanations and Implications

AIDS was recognized in humans in 1981 and a simian form was described in the years 1983 to 1985. However, beginning in the late 1960s, outbreaks of opportunistic infections of AIDS were seen in monkeys in the United States. This apparent syndrome went unrecognized at the time. We have assembled thos...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of public health (1971) 2016-06, Vol.106 (6), p.1015-1022
Main Authors: Hammett, Theodore M, Bronson, Roderick T
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - history
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - veterinary
AIDS
AJPH History
Animals
Disease Models, Animal
DNA, Viral - genetics
History, 20th Century
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
Laboratories
Medical research
Monkey Diseases - history
Monkeys & apes
Opportunistic Infections
Primates
Public health
Retroviridae - genetics
Retroviridae Infections - history
Simian Immunodeficiency Virus - immunology
Viral infections
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Summary:AIDS was recognized in humans in 1981 and a simian form was described in the years 1983 to 1985. However, beginning in the late 1960s, outbreaks of opportunistic infections of AIDS were seen in monkeys in the United States. This apparent syndrome went unrecognized at the time. We have assembled those early cases in monkeys and offer reasons why they did not result in earlier recognition of simian or human AIDS, including weaknesses in understanding disease mechanisms, absence of evidence of human retroviruses, and a climate of opinion that devalued investigation of infectious disease and immunologic origins of disease. The "epistemological obstacle" explains important elements of this history in that misconceptions blocked understanding of the dependent relationship among viral infection, immunodeficiency, and opportunistic diseases. Had clearer understanding of the evidence from monkeys allowed human AIDS to be recognized earlier, life-saving prevention and treatment interventions might have been implemented sooner.
ISSN:0090-0036
1541-0048
DOI:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303085