News Health & Medicine

Chimpanzees die from primate version of HIV

Study shows AIDS-like health effects in a wild population

By Rachel Ehrenberg

- More than 2 years ago

A primate version of the virus that causes AIDS was long thought to be harmless in its African hosts, but chimpanzees have not been spared after all.

PATIENT ZERO? When sampling began in 2000, Chimp 006 was the first chimpanzee in Tanzania’s Gombe National Park chimp population to test positive for SIV infection.