Transmission modes and the evolution of virulence : With special reference to cholera, influenza, and AIDS

AIDS action-research with women in Kinshasa, Zaire

AIDS has assumed epidemic proportions in Central Africa. Knowledge of culturally constructed gender relations and sexual meanings is crucial to developing prevention strategies and reducing the impact of AIDS. CONNAISSIDA, a transdisciplinary medical anthropology research project, developed culturally appropriate community-based empowerment workshops. These used cognitive, emotional and social stimulants to provoke critical reflection and action. Collaborative relationships developed in workshops were used to study sexual relations in many contexts. Significant changes in knowledge and action were observed. Nevertheless, economic necessity and inequality limited the ability of many women to avoid sexual risk. Economic crisis, structural adjustment and debt reimbursement policies have exacerbated poverty, particularly among women. Linking macrolevel political economy to microlevel sociocultural analysis shows how strategies adopted for survival contribute to sexual risk. Therefore broader socioeconomic changes that reduce poverty and gender subordination are necessary to control the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Findings from Zaire are widely applicable in the region.

How does HIV cause AIDS?

Many questions have been posed about acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) pathogenesis. Is human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) both necessary and sufficient to cause AIDS? Is AIDS essentially an autoimmune disease, triggering apoptosis, or is virus infection the cause of T helper lymphocyte depletion? What is the significance of HIV tropism and the role of macrophages and dendritic cells in AIDS? Is there viral latency and why is there usually a long period between infection and AIDS? Is HIV variation a crucial aspect of its pathogenesis and, if so, do virulent strains emerge? Although this article provides few definitive answers, it aims to focus commentary on salient points. Overall, it is increasingly evident that both the tropism and burden of HIV infection correlate closely with the manifestations of disease.

Ecology of plant-herbivore communities: A fungal component?

We consider how microorganisms may alter conventional theories of the organization of plant-herbivore communities. We focus on endophytic fungi and their role in mediating interactions among herbivores, their host plants, and natural enemies. We propose hypotheses about the role of microbes in plant-herbivore communities and suggest ways to test these hypotheses. An initial approach to the overwhelming complexity of interacting species is to view species as components of functional groups, be they micro- or macroscopic, that potentially affect the ecology and evolution of host plants.