Answer to Question #92457 in Microbiology for Victor

Question

Can a retrovirus survive the ph of stomach acid if HIV is usually transmitted through blood? I'm trying to understand how the first people were infected. They say it was from consuming meat from monkeys. I immediately think is it zootonic? So are we saying HIV is not only blood-borne, but could also be food-borne? If viral pathogens aren't alive, how can they be pathogenic?

Answer 1

Retrovirus cannot survive the stomach acidity.Maybe the process of slaughtering the monkey predisposed the people to infected blood that could have passed on through body cuts obtained in the process.Viruses rely on the host to multiply and interfere with the cell structure of the affected areas causing damage that lead to infection.The inability of the virus to self-re-procreate is what makes the virus not to be alive.