Arts & Entertainment
Origins of an epidemic
New HIV book well researched but academic and heavy
‘Virus Hunt: The Search for the Origin of HIV’
By Dorothy H. Crawford
Oxford University Press
$27.95
244 pages
Some things are easy to track down. Others take years, even decades.
In the new book “Virus Hunt” by Dorothy H. Crawford, you’ll see how scientists discovered the roots of HIV.
In 1981, doctors in California began noticing “rare infections … and an unusually aggressive tumor” in certain patients. Soon, the same was reported in New York, Florida and elsewhere around the country. By 1982, the disease was called AIDS.
The risk of catching AIDS seemed at first to be limited to sexually active gay men, particularly those with multiple partners. Within weeks, heroin users and hemophiliacs were added to the at-risk group, then doctors discovered that infected mothers could pass it to their children. “Fear of AIDS” became “a disease in its own right.”
By 1984, the “causative virus was identified [as human immunodeficiency virus]… and shortly thereafter the genome was sequenced …”
But where did HIV come from?
Soon after the first description of AIDS was released in 1981, Boston researchers noticed that their captive macaque population was affected with something that sounded similar. Four years later, scientists at that research facility isolated a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) that had spread and mutated as animals were “unwittingly” shipped around to other facilities.
That led to the discovery that some SIVs are “closely related” to certain strains of HIV and share “between 62 and 87 percent” of their genetic sequences. It didn’t take much to see how the virus mutated, or how it leaped from animal to human, possibly via Africa’s sooty mangabey monkeys (a “natural host of the virus”), which were sometimes hunted for food.
But the question of where HIV came from needs to go back even further than 1981. A man from Memphis experienced AIDS-like symptoms back in 1952. SIVs were discovered in Icelandic sheep in 1949. Scientists, in fact, believe that SIVs are “ancient parasites” and that HIV has been “circulating in the African population since near the start of the 20th century.”
At the beginning of this book, author Dorothy H. Crawford indicates that the search for the beginnings of HIV is somewhat like a mystery. She’s absolutely correct. It is, but you need a Sherlockian PhD to understand it all.
That’s not to say that “Virus Hunt” is a bad book — that’s not the case at all. What readers will want to know, however, is that it’s very academic and heavily steeped in genetics, epidemiology and laboratory-level research. That’s great for anyone employed in those fields. For the layperson, this mystery’s not unreadable but it’s as far from relaxing entertainment as you’ll ever get.
Tackle this book, therefore, but give yourself some time to absorb it. Without that kind of consideration and careful contemplation, “Virus Hunt” will be hard to appreciate.
Out & About
Blade Summer Kickoff Party returns to Rehoboth
Politicians slated to speak at annual Blue Moon party
The Washington Blade’s 17th annual Summer Kickoff Party returns Friday, May 17, 5-7 p.m. at the Blue Moon (35 Baltimore Ave.) in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
It’s an exciting election year in Delaware, which is poised to elect its first Black woman senator (Lisa Blunt Rochester) and the nation’s first transgender member of Congress (Sarah McBride).
McBride is scheduled to speak at the party along with several politicos from the area. With the retirement of longtime state Rep. Peter C. Schwartzkopf, a staunch LGBTQ ally, three strong contenders are running to replace him. All three — Marty Rendon, Kathy McGuiness, and Claire Snyder-Hall — are slated to speak at the party. A representative from Blunt Rochester’s campaign is scheduled to speak, along with Kim Leisey, the new executive director of CAMP Rehoboth.
Tax-deductible tickets are $20 and available on Eventbrite or via the Blade’s Facebook page. The party is sponsored by Justin Noble of Sotheby’s, The Avenue Inn & Spa, and Blue Moon.
Andy Cohen, executive producer of “The Real Housewives” franchise and host of “Watch What Happens Live,” will return to Sixth & I on Wednesday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m.
This event will be his fifth appearance at the venue to celebrate the paperback release of his New York Times bestselling memoir, “The Daddy Diaries,” talk about the latest Housewives happenings, and answer audience questions about everyone’s favorite Bravolebrities.
Cohen will be in conversation with Rep. Robert Garcia, who represents California and is the first LGBTQ immigrant to win a congressional seat. Rep. Garcia has also been known to quote from “The Real Housewives” in congressional hearings.
Tickets start at $12 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
“Herses- Purse Frist Extravaganza” will be on Friday, May 3 at 9 p.m. at 1835 14th St. N.W. This will be an evening of dancing and performances, hosted by HAUS of Bambi Award-winning Performance Artist, BUMPER. Refreshments are also available for purchase.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.