A new approach to the etiopathogenesis of AIDS

This hypothesis proposes as an explanation for the origin of the Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), the homosexual transmission of spermatozoons. The male gamete may possess a depressing action on the immuno-competence of the egg aimed to prevent the rejection of the spermatozoon material. The female organism may be able to inactivate this action, an ability that might be absent in the male organism. As a consequence of the loss of its immunological competence, the body is invaded by a variety of microorganisms, among which certain elemental classes of viruses would strive successfully for long periods of time. Their permanence in the depressed organism would enable them to overcome the immune barriers present in normal subjects, becoming thus, transmissible and in some cases even pathogenic for the new host.