JOURNAL ARTICLE

How an HIV/AIDS tragedy spurred human evolution: Before antiretroviral drugs reached South Africa, high death toll shaped immune system genes.

  • Published In: Sciencemag.org, 2026. P. N.PAG 1 of 3

  • Database: Applied Science & Technology Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Cohen, Jon 3 of 3

Abstract

The article focuses on a study examining how the HIV/AIDS epidemic in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, drove rapid evolutionary changes in immune system genes before widespread access to antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. Researchers analyzed human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene variants from blood samples collected between 1998 and 2025, finding that the frequency of "protective" HLA alleles increased while "susceptible" alleles decreased due to high mortality from AIDS. The introduction of ARV drugs around 2005 slowed this natural selection process by reducing HIV-related deaths. The study highlights a rare example of rapid human evolution influenced by infectious disease within a few decades. [Extracted from the article]

Additional Information

  • Source:Sciencemag.org. 2026/04, pN.PAG
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Health and Medicine
  • Publication Date:2026
  • Accession Number:193313920
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