.the absence of any agreement about how HIV causes AIDS, the only evidence that HIV does cause AIDS is correlation. Just as there are cases of AIDS [4,621 cases recorded in the literature, 1,691 of them in the U.S.A.] without HIV, there are cases of HIV-positive persons who remain healthy for more than a decade and who may never suffer from AIDS. It is even possible that some rare strains of HIV exist that are benign...Some homosexual men in the U.S. who have been infected with HIV for at least eleven years show as yet no signs of damage to their immune systems." (Thomas, Mullins, Johnson, 1994) These long-term survivors must be studied to "ascertain whether something unusual about their immune systems explains their response or whether they carry an avirulent strain of the virus," yet another as yet unclassified and mutated strain. (Thomas, Mullins, Johnson, 1994) but there is still hope that despite the uncertain correlation between HIV and AIDS, and the development of new formsof the virus that scientists will be able to stem further mutations and enable individuals to live healhtier lives, with less recourse to drugs. In 2001, two groups of scientists reported that people with...

"One of the research groups in 2003 uncovered a mechanism by which this protection might be conferred. GBV-C decreases the number of [available] receptors on the surface of a cell, limiting the amount of HIV getting into cells." (Science News, 2003) This protects the individual and reduces the possiblities of mutation -- two bright spots in an otherwise dark and uncertain horizon of research
Works Cited

Radetsky, Peter. (Jan. 1993) "Are there any more out there? - previously undiscovered viral sources of AIDS - Aids - 1992. Discover. Retrived 5 Dec 2004. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1511/is_n1_v14/ai_13670056

Thomas, Charles M. & Kary B. Mullins, Phillip E. Johnson. (Jun. 1994) What causes AIDS? it's an open question." Reason. Retrived 5 Dec 2004

Reason. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1568/is_n2_v26/ai_15473457/pg_2

Science News. (Mar. 15, 2003) "Protective virus ties up HIV docking sites." Science News. Retrived 5 Dec 2004. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1200/is_11_163/ai_99187011