Scientists published in this week’s Nature Medicine journal a significant finding of a new HIV strain isolated in a woman from the African nation of Cameroon. It is distinct from the currently identified three strains and is appears to be closely related to simian strains of HIV found in gorillas. Scientists speculate this new strain started out in the gorilla, or even chimpanzee, population and has jumped to humans. It’s unknown how widespread this strain is, but this discovery reminds us that HIV is a fast-evolving disease and continued efforts should be made in watching for the emergence of new HIV strains. [via Yahoo! News]
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Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.