Commentary: Questioning the HIV-AIDS Hypothesis: 30 Years of Dissent

Dr. Goodson ignores the fact that Koch’s postulates for viruses have been completely fulfilled in the case of HIV (9, 14, 15). The overwhelming evidence suggests an invariable epidemiological association of HIV with AIDS.AIDS occurs exclusively inHIV-infected people (16).HIV can be detected in all AIDS patients (17). High levels of HIV in the organism predict progression to AIDS (18–23). Many children born to HIV-infected mothers have developed AIDS and died (24). AIDS-related conditions, such as Pneumocystis pneumonia and disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex disease, have become much more common after the start of the HIV epidemic (25). Death rates are much higher in HIV-seropositive treatment-naïve than in seronegative individuals (26–34). An HIV-triggered decrease in CD4 T-lymphocyte count is a specific feature of HIV infection, and is extraordinarily rare in the absence of HIV (16, 35–37). The HIV-caused CD4 T-lymphocyte depletion occurs through at least two mechanisms. (1) Direct killing of infected CD4 T-lymphocytes. Dr. Goodson seems unfamiliar with the fact that HIV-1, HIV-2, and other representatives of the genus Lentivirus (e.g., Simian immunodeficiency virus), as well as some other retroviruses (e.g., Feline leukemia virus and members of the Avian leukosis virus group), exert a cytopathic effect in infected cells (38). (2) HIV directly kills Th17 CD4 T-lymphocytes in the intestinal submucosa, triggering the damage of the mucosal integrity, translocation of microbial products from the intestine to the blood and chronic immune activation, resulting in furthermassive loss of CD4 T-lymphocytes (39, 40). Dr. Goodson claims that recreational drug use, clotting factor VIII, or receptive anal intercourse, but not HIV, are causes of AIDS. However, all of these claims have long ago been rejected by overwhelming scientific evidence (16, 35–37, 41–45).