Origin of the AIDS Virus (17-JUN-02, GAO-02-809R).
This report responds to a congressional request that GAO review
allegations that the National Cancer Institute's Special Virus
Cancer Program (SVCP) created the AIDS virus. GAO found no
evidence to support the allegations that SVCP created the AIDS
virus.
-------------------------Indexing Terms-------------------------
REPORTNUM: GAO-02-809R
ACCNO: A03651
TITLE: Origin of the AIDS Virus
DATE: 06/17/2002
SUBJECT: Infectious diseases
Investigations into federal agencies
Sexually transmitted diseases
AIDS
National Cancer Institute Special Virus
Cancer Program
******************************************************************
** This file contains an ASCII representation of the text of a **
** GAO Product. **
** **
** No attempt has been made to display graphic images, although **
** figure captions are reproduced. Tables are included, but **
** may not resemble those in the printed version. **
** **
** Please see the PDF (Portable Document Format) file, when **
** available, for a complete electronic file of the printed **
** document's contents. **
** **
******************************************************************
GAO-02-809R
GAO- 02- 809R Origin of the AIDS Virus United States General Accounting
Office
Washington, DC 20548
June 17, 2002 The Honorable James A. Traficant, Jr. House of Representatives
Subject: O rigin of the AIDS Virus Dear Mr. Traficant: In response to your
request to review an individual?s allegations that the National Cancer
Institute?s Special Virus Cancer Program (SVCP) created the AIDS virus, we
obtained information on (1) the overall stated purposes and outcomes of
SVCP, (2) scientific assessments of the origins of the AIDS virus (HIV- 1)
and any possible evidence regarding the origins of the AIDS virus at SVCP,
and (3) the outcome of recent litigation regarding the origins of the AIDS
virus. On June 13, 2002, we briefed your staff on the results of our
analysis. The enclosed slides formed the basis of the briefing we presented.
To address our objectives, we consulted experts on HIV/ AIDS and on SVCP,
reviewed SVCP progress reports and summaries as well as documents that
allege SVCP created the AIDS virus. In addition, we obtained information on
recent litigation involving the individual?s allegations. In summary, we did
not find evidence to support the allegation that SVCP created the AIDS
virus. Comments from the National Cancer Institute on a draft of the
briefing slides concluded that they are historically and scientifically
accurate.
We are sending copies of this report to the Secretary of Health and Human
Services and the Acting Director of the National Cancer Institute. We will
also make copies available to others on request. In addition, the report
will be available at no charge on the GAO Web site at http:// www. gao. gov.
Please contact me at (202) 512- 7119 if you have any questions. The major
contributor to this report was Lawrence S. Solomon.
Sincerely yours, Janet Heinrich Director, Health Care Public Health Issues
Enclosure
Enclosure Enclosure 2 GAO- 02- 809R Origin of the AIDS Virus
Origin of the AIDS Virus Briefing for the Office of the Honorable James A.
Traficant, Jr.,
House of Representatives By the U.S. General Accounting Office
June 13, 2002
Enclosure Enclosure
GAO- 02- 809R Origin of the AIDS Virus 3
Background
An individual has alleged that the visna virus, which caused illness and
death in Icelandic sheep, was used by the National Cancer Institute?s (NCI)
Special Virus Cancer Program (SVCP) to develop HIV-1, the virus that has
caused the global AIDS pandemic.
This individual cited a SVCP research program flowchart as evidence that
HIV-1 was developed intentionally in its laboratories.
Enclosure Enclosure
GAO- 02- 809R Origin of the AIDS Virus 4
Objectives
Identify overall stated purposes and outcomes of SVCP.
Describe scientific assessments of the origins of the AIDS virus and any
possible evidence regarding the origin of the AIDS virus at SVCP.
Describe outcome of recent litigation involving the individual?s allegations
of federal government involvement in the origins of the AIDS virus.
Enclosure Enclosure
GAO- 02- 809R Origin of the AIDS Virus 5
Methodology To address our objectives, we:
Consulted experts on HIV/AIDS and on SVCP. They have expertise in genetics,
cell biology, viral oncology, biochemistry, internal medicine, epidemiology,
public health, and dentistry. Some of these experts are cited by the
individual as supporters of the allegation that SVCP created the AIDS virus.
Enclosure Enclosure
GAO- 02- 809R Origin of the AIDS Virus 6
Methodology (continued)
Reviewed SVCP progress reports and summaries issued between 1967 and 1984.
Reviewed documents that allege SVCP created the AIDS virus.
Obtained information on recent litigation addressing the individual?s
allegations.
Performed our work from January through May 2002 in accordance with
generally accepted government auditing standards.
Enclosure Enclosure
GAO- 02- 809R Origin of the AIDS Virus 7
Purpose of SVCP
NCI directed SVCP within the intramural laboratories from 1964 to 1980.
After 1980, the work of SVCP was incorporated into NCI?s broader National
Cancer Plan.
Purpose was to find viruses in human cancer cells, relate them to specific
cancers (leukemia, etc.), and develop means to block their effects and
reduce cancer growth.
Enclosure Enclosure
GAO- 02- 809R Origin of the AIDS Virus 8
Purpose of SVCP (continued)
In 1972, SVCP developed a flowchart depicting research program to
investigate viral oncology (the study of how viruses cause cancer).
Outcome of SVCP did not lead to discovery of viruses in human cancer cells,
but did result in several advances in molecular biology.
Enclosure Enclosure
GAO- 02- 809R Origin of the AIDS Virus 9
Scientific Assessment on the Origins of the AIDS Virus
The first scientific evidence of HIV-1 predates the 1964 commencement of
SVCP.
HIV-1 was found in blood samples of an African man who died in 1959. (Zhu,
Tuofu et al. ?An African HIV-1 Sequence from 1959 and Implications for the
Origin of the Epidemic,? Nature 391, no. 6667 (1998): 594-97.)
HIV-1 was likely transferred to humans before 1955 from a subspecies of
chimpanzees infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). (Korber,
Bette et al. ?Timing the Ancestor of the HIV-1 Pandemic Strains,? Science
288, no. 5472 (2000): 1789-96.)
Enclosure Enclosure
GAO- 02- 809R Origin of the AIDS Virus 10
Scientific Assessment on the Origins of the AIDS Virus
(continued)
Historical analyses of virus development have demonstrated that while the
visna virus and HIV-1 shared some common origins thousands of years ago,
mutations of key genes over time have resulted in a wide divergence of these
two viruses.
These analyses have also demonstrated that the laboratory combination of the
visna virus and HIV-1 was highly improbable.
Enclosure Enclosure
GAO- 02- 809R Origin of the AIDS Virus 11
Scientific Assessment on the Origins of the AIDS Virus
(continued)
Therefore, there is no evidence that SVCP created the AIDS virus.
Enclosure Enclosure
GAO- 02- 809R Origin of the AIDS Virus 12
Recent Litigation Involving Allegations Concerning the Origins of the AIDS
Virus
U.S. District Court (Northern District of Ohio) issued order September 16,
1999, dismissing allegations that the federal government developed agent
that subsequently became known as AIDS.
U.S. Court of Appeals (Sixth Circuit) affirmed the U.S. District Court order
November 7, 2000. The Court of Appeals referred to the allegations as having
?no basis in law or in fact.?
Enclosure Enclosure
GAO- 02- 809R Origin of the AIDS Virus 13
Recent Litigation Involving Allegations Concerning the Origins of the AIDS
Virus
(continued)
U.S. Supreme Court denied petition to review the case June 4, 2001.
[Graves v. Cohen, No. 98-02209 (N.D. Ohio Sept. 16, 1999), aff?d 238 F. 3d
421, 2000 U.S. App. LEXIS 29203 (6 th Cir. Nov. 7, 2000), cert. denied sub
nom. Graves v. Rumsfeld, 532 U.S. 1072 (2001).]
Enclosure Enclosure
GAO- 02- 809R Origin of the AIDS Virus 14
Comments from NCI
We received oral comments from NCI on a draft of this briefing. The comments
stated that the information contained in this briefing is historically and
scientifically accurate.
(290160)
*** End of document. ***