I spent a good portion of the last episode telling you that HIV cannot be cured and our best option is to keep it under control with medication.

But here’s the thing: I wasn’t telling you the whole truth.

In a handful of cases, people have been declared cured of HIV. The first was known as the Berlin Patient, and since then, fewer than 10 cases have followed.

Today, I’d like to share their story and explain why we shouldn’t hold out hope for a miracle pill—because this cure isn't some simple medication. Instead, these people received a high-risk bone marrow transplant from a donor genetically resistant to HIV.

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If you enjoyed this episode and want to stay updated on more virology stories, please follow @virology_podcast or @karolina_science on Instagram :). The podcast is also available in Czech as “Podcast o virech”.

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Sources:

T. R. Brown, 2015: I Am the Berlin Patient: A Personal Reflection • G. Hütter, 2009: Long-Term Control of HIV by CCR5 Delta32/Delta32 Stem-Cell Transplantation • R. K. Gupta, 2019: HIV-1 remission following CCR5Δ32/Δ32 haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation • J. Hsu, 2023: HIV-1 remission and possible cure in a woman after haplo-cord blood transplant • W. A. Paxton, 1996: Relative resistance to HIV-1 infection of CD4 lymphocytes from persons who remain uninfected despite multiple high-risk sexual exposure • J. Novembre, 2005: The geographic spread of the CCR5 Delta32 HIV-resistance allele • A. P. Galvani, 2005: The evolutionary history of the CCR5-Delta32 HIV-resistance mutation • L. Kordelas, 2014: Shift of HIV tropism in stem-cell transplantation with CCR5 Delta32 mutation • T. J. Henrich, 2014: Antiretroviral-free HIV-1 remission and viral rebound after allogeneic stem cell transplantation: report of 2 cases • S. Yandrapally, 2021: HIV co-receptor-tropism: cellular and molecular events behind the enigmatic co-receptor switching

In the 1980s, doctors began noticing a troubling pattern: previously healthy individuals were succumbing to rare diseases that their immune systems couldn’t fend off. This alarming phenomenon was traced back to the HIV virus, which ultimately leads to the development of AIDS—a condition where the immune system stops functioning properly.

In today's episode, we delve into the scientific quest to uncover the origins of this medical mystery, explore the origins of the virus, and bring a warning about proper hygiene when hunting monkeys.

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If you enjoyed this episode and want to stay updated on more virology stories, please follow @virology_podcast or @karolina_science on Instagram :). The podcast is also available in Czech as “Podcast o virech”.

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Sources:

CDC, 1981: Pneumocystis Pneumonia -- Los Angeles • CDC, 1981: Kaposi's sarcoma and Pneumocystis pneumonia among homosexual men--New York City and California • F. Barré-Sinoussi, 1983: Isolation of a T-lymphotropic retrovirus from a patient at risk for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) • J. Hemelaar, 2012: The origin and diversity of the HIV-1 pandemic • T. Zhu, 1998: An African HIV-1 sequence from 1959 and implications for the origin of the epidemic • M. Worobey, 2008: Direct evidence of extensive diversity of HIV-1 in Kinshasa by 1960 • D. Quammen, 2015: The Chimp and the River • PM. Sharp, 2011: Origins of HIV and the AIDS Pandemic • T. Cihlar, 2016: Current status and prospects of HIV treatment • LG. Bekker, 2024: Twice-Yearly Lenacapavir or Daily F/TAF for HIV Prevention in Cisgender Women • J. Paik, 2022: Lenacapavir: First Approval • M. Worobey, 2016: 1970s and ‘Patient 0’ HIV-1 genomes illuminate early HIV/AIDS history in North America • RA McKay, 2014: Patient Zero • B. Lein, 2024: AIDS treatment activism, a Bay area story (online, accessed 14/07/2024)

Maybe you noticed media reports talking about ancient viruses found in permafrost. Sometimes even using catchphrases like "zombie virus revived from the ice". And I am not exaggerating, even CNN used the term zombie virus in a headline. Today I would like to talk about where these stories are coming from and what research was done on viruses or their fragments conserved in permafrost.

On viruses that were discovered in permafrost samples as old as 50,000 years.

On viruses that can sometimes still be infectious, even after all this time.

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If you enjoyed this episode and want to stay updated on more virology stories, please follow @virology_podcast or @karolina_science on Instagram :). The podcast is also available in Czech as “Podcast o virech”.

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Sources:

R. Wu, 2022: RNA Viruses Linked to Eukaryotic Hosts in Thawed Permafrost • J. Alempic, 2023: An Update on Eukaryotic Viruses Revived from Ancient Permafrost • M. Legendre, 2014: Thirty-thousand-year-old distant relative of giant icosahedral DNA viruses with a pandoravirus morphology; 2015: In-depth study of Mollivirus sibericum, a new 30,000-y-old giant virus infecting Acanthamoeba • S. Rigou, 2022: Metagenomic survey of the microbiome of ancient Siberian permafrost and modern Kamchatkan cryosols • The Guardian, 2024: Arctic zombie viruses in Siberia could spark terrifying new pandemic, scientists warn (online, accessed 21/04/2024) • S. Malavin, 2020: Frozen Zoo: a collection of permafrost samples containing viable protists and their viruses • Z. Zhong, 2021: Glacier ice archives nearly 15,000-year-old microbes and phages • K. Hueffer, 2020: Factors Contributing to Anthrax Outbreaks in the Circumpolar North • V. Timofeev, 2019: Insights from Bacillus anthracis strains isolated from permafrost in the tundra zone of Russia • P. Biagini, 2012: Variola virus in a 300-year-old Siberian mummy