HIV spreads like computer worms, say scientists
Source: The Guardian
HIV specialists and network security experts at University College London (UCL) have found that HIV progresses both via the bloodstream and directly between cells – akin to computer worms spreading themselves through two routes to infect as many computers as possible.
The HIV virus seen under a microscope. Researchers at UCL now believe it propagates in a hybrid fashion, both via the bloodstream and directly from cell to cell. Photograph: GeoStock/Getty Images
Prof Benny Chain, from UCL’s infection and immunity division, the co-senior author of the research, said: “I was involved in a study looking in general at spreading of worms across the internet and then I realised the parallel. They have to consistently find another computer to infect outside. They can either look locally in their own networks, their own computers, or you could remotely transmit out a worm to every computer on the internet. HIV also uses two ways of spreading within the body.”
The model was inspired by similarities between HIV and computer worms such as the highly damaging “Conficker” worm, first detected in 2008, which has infected military and police networks across Europe and is still active today.
The researchers’ findings, published on Thursday, told them that just as computer worms spread most efficiently by a combination of two routes, so must HIV – enabling the researchers to create a model for this “hybrid spreading”, which accurately predicted patients’ progression from HIV to Aids.
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/02/hiv-spreads-like-computer-worms-say-scientists
This could be a BFD. Retroviruses are so sneaky - any new knowledge about their SOP is good.
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