Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).[1][2][3] This condition progressively reduces the effectiveness of the immune system and leaves individuals susceptible to opportunistic infections and tumors. HIV is transmitted through direct contact of a mucous membrane or the bloodstream with a bodily fluid containing HIV, such as blood, semen, vaginal fluid, preseminal fluid, and breast milk.[4][5] This transmission can involve anal, vaginal or oral sex, blood transfusion, contaminated hypodermic needles, exchange between mother and baby during pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or other exposure to one of the above bodily fluids.
AIDS is now a pandemic.[6] As of 2009, AVERT estimated that there are 33.3 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS, with 2.6 million new HIV infections per year and 1.8 million annual deaths due to AIDS.[7]
All the means of infection as mentioned above other than unprotected sex are not in the control of HIV.Now as per the concepts of the Evolutionary Biology any trait that enhances the Reproductive Capacity of the Organism is Naturally Selected as the Organism will Reproduce Successfully and Pass on the Gene in to the Next Generation.Since the HIV lacks the DNA repair Mechanisms and has very high mutation rate it maintains a very good amount of the Genetic Variation required for effective Evolution of New useful Trait(8,9,10,11).Thus the Virus should manipulate the host sexual Desires and Arousal Aspects so that it can increase it chances of infecting new hosts by inducing it to indulge in more sexual activity. There should be higher levels of Testosterone in the male patients initially and should fall down later .This is because once patients gets aware that he is HIV positive it is a great setback for him and conditions like Depression Prevail which ultimately decreases the sexual desire.(12)
Herpes Zoster is also one of the most common sexually transmitted Diseases. Herpes Zoster Virus is found to stimulate certain Ganglion in the Human Host that regulate sexual Behaviour and consequently increase the sexual desire in the host. (13)
HPV or Humanpapilloma Virus is the major cause of cervical,Vulva , Vagina and Anal Cancer in Women as well as major cause of oral and Penile cancer in Males in USA and European Countries (14,15,16 & 17).HPV infection is typically transferred through SEX.There are different strains of HPV but 16 and 18 are mainly responsible almost 70% of the Cervical Cancers.Recently launched Cervical Cancer Vaccines like Gardasil and Cervarix mainly protect against this strains(18&19). My hypothesis is that since in the case of HPV the major mode of infection in Human Beings is Sex , selection pressure for a trait that increases the desire of sex in the host for its successful transmission in the other hosts is very High.So in case of the HPV infection in males specifically with strain 16 and 18 there should be higher level of Testosterone and higher levels of estrogen in case of females to give the evolutionary advantage to the virus so that it can successfully infect new hosts.
REFERENCES :
1. ^ Weiss RA (May 1993). "How does HIV cause AIDS?". Science 260 (5112): 1273–9. doi:10.1126/science.8493571. PMID 8493571.
2. ^ Douek DC, Roederer M, Koup RA (2009). "Emerging concepts in the immunopathogenesis of AIDS". Annu. Rev. Med. 60: 471–84. doi:10.1146/annurev.med.60.041807.123549. PMID 18947296.
3. ^ a b "CDC – HIV/AIDS – Resources – HIV Prevention in the United States at a Critical Crossroads". Cdc.gov. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/reports/hiv_prev_us.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-28
4^ a b "HIV and AIDS among Gay and Bisexual Men" (PDF). http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/docs/FastFacts-MSM-FINAL508COMP.pdf. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
5 ^ a b c Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2006). "Overview of the global AIDS epidemic" (PDF). 2006 Report on the global AIDS epidemic. ISBN 9291734799. http://data.unaids.org/pub/GlobalReport/2006/2006_GR_CH02_en.pdf. Retrieved 2006-06-08.
6^ Greener, R. (2002). "AIDS and macroeconomic impact". In S, Forsyth (ed.). State of The Art: AIDS and Economics. IAEN. pp. 49–55. http://db.jhuccp.org/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?BU=http://db.jhuccp.org/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll&QF0=DocNo&QI0=285428&TN=Popline&AC=QBE_QUERY&MR=30%25DL=1&&RL=1&&RF=LongRecordDisplay&DF=LongRecordDisplay.
7 ^ Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. "AIDS epidemic update, 2005" (PDF). http://www.unaids.org/epi/2005/doc/EPIupdate2005_pdf_en/epi-update2005_en.pdf. Retrieved 2006-02-28.
8 ^ Doc Kaiser's Microbiology Home Page > IV. VIRUSES > F. ANIMAL VIRUS LIFE CYCLES > 3. The Life Cycle of HIV Community College of Baltimore County. Updated: Jan., 2008
9 ^ a b c d Robertson DL, Hahn BH, Sharp PM. (1995). "Recombination in AIDS viruses". J Mol Evol. 40 (3): 249–59. doi:10.1007/BF00163230. PMID 7723052.
10 ^ Rambaut, A et al; Posada, D; Crandall, KA; Holmes, EC (January 2004). "The causes and consequences of HIV evolution". Nature Reviews Genetics 5 (52–61): 52–61. doi:10.1038/nrg1246. PMID 14708016. http://tree.bio.ed.ac.uk/downloadPaper.php?id=242.
11^ Perelson AS, Ribeiro RM (October 2008). "Estimating drug efficacy and viral dynamic parameters: HIV and HCV". Stat Med 27 (23): 4647–57. doi:10.1002/sim.3116. PMID 17960579.
12.Philip Starks et .al Reuters New Media - July 12, 2000
13. Herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia: prevention and
management. Am Fam Physician 72(6):1075–1080;
14.^ a b c d "Genital HPV Infection - CDC Fact Sheet". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). April 10, 2008. http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
15.A team of researchers: A. K. Chaturvedi, E. A. Engels,W. F. Anderson, and M. L. Gillison, “Incidence Trends for Human Papillomavirus-Related and -Unrelated Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas in the United States,” J Clin Oncol 26, no. 4 (2008): 612–619.
16“What we do know: Lesley Walker, quoted in M. Day, “Oral Sex-Related Cancer at 30-Year High,” New Scientist, 2008.
17“We need to start: Dr. Maura Gillison, quoted in “HPV Increasingly Causes Oral Cancer in Men,” Associated Press, February 1, 2008, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22956090/.
18^ a b Kahn JA (July 2009). "HPV vaccination for the prevention of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia". N. Engl. J. Med. 361 (3): 271–8. doi:10.1056/NEJMct0806938. PMID 19605832.
19 ^ Lowy DR, Schiller JT (2006). "Prophylactic human papillomavirus vaccines". J. Clin. Invest. 116 (5): 1167–73. doi:10.1172/JCI28607. PMID 16670757.
