Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Cells, Microbes & Viruses => Topic started by: DITTO on 10/02/2008 11:22:07
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Then why not use Malaria as a herpes-destroying predator? It could be introduced directly into the spinal fluid to destroy the herpes virus then the patient could be "cured" of the malaria. Is there any evidence that someone has actually done this? There must be people in malaria-infested climates who have herpes then were infected with Malaria. I wonder if Western doctors who volunteer to serve in Africa have ever heard of this happening. If drugs like Acyclovir are based on dead viral cells then why not one based on malaria?
I read recently that researchers think that a syphilus outbreak in Europe in 1495 was brought back by Christopher Colombus and his men from the New World. It has been found in soil samples in the Dominican Republic. There must be a similar story for herpes.
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What reason can you give for thinking Malaria may be a cure for herpes?
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yeah, i'm missing some leap in your logic too....
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It is not even proven that Columbus brought back Syphilis, although the first outbreaks in Italy were soon after the discovery of the New World (although that was also generally an age of increased voyages of discovery, including around Africa and Asia), any of which could have been the source of Syphilis.
The first documented outbreak of Syphilis in Europe was in Naples in 1494, which is almost too soon after the return of Columbus from the New World in 1492 (although he did not reach mainland America until 1498); but it is still not impossible.
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I believe that Syphilis is a bacteria whereas herpes is a viral disease. It is akin to chicken pox. Hippocrates described herpes in his written work. It is know much longer in history than syphilis. Why Syphilis?
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Incidentally, Acyclovir is not based on dead virus material. You are thinking of vaccines, which are normally based on dead dead virus material. Acyclovir merely interferes with the way the virus replicates within the cell.
Another issue is that Herpes resides in the peripheral nerves (not, as far as I am aware, in the nerves within the spine), but malaria normally hits the red blood cells.
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Just as an example of how things interconnect...
I remember a few years ago someone devised a remedy for sickle cell anaemia. Unfortunately, many of those treated subsequently contracted malaria, whereas they had previously been immune to it.
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Just as an example of how things interconnect...
I remember a few years ago someone devised a remedy for sickle cell anaemia. Unfortunately, many of those treated subsequently contracted malaria, whereas they had previously been immune to it.
Yes, sickle cell and thalassaemia both effect the red blood cells so that it makes them less hospitable to the malaria parasite.
This makes it very useful (as thalassaemia also effects the bones) for archaeologists, since it is a useful proxy for the levels of malaria that past societies had to endure (more malaria gave people with thalassaemia an advantage, so the levels of thalassaemia role; the absence of malaria gave sufferers a disadvantage, so the levels of the disease fell.