HIV risk from bush meat

One in six monkeys eaten as bush meat in Cameroon are infected with the simian equivalent of HIV, raising fears that new strains of HIV could develop through the bush meat trade. Researchers from France’s Institute for Research and Development in Montpellier and a team from the Cameroon government found that, of 800 monkeys caught, about 130 had the virus, which is thought to have mutated at some time into HIV after infecting hunters. “The study suggests a high degree of human exposure to SIV through hunting and handling monkeys for their meat,” says Martine Peeters of the IRD. Her…