Rod, at 13:24 on May 27 1996, you wrote to Bill Grimsley...

BG> So in decimating the rabbit population, we're unintentionally
BG> breeding a super race of virus-resistant rodents.

RS> Yes, thats always a risk. That is in fact why we get antibiotic resistant
RS> infectious diseases too. Or insecticide resistant cockroaches etc.

Yeah, good point.

RS> Thats not how viruses work. You almost never get a 100% kill rate
RS> even with the most virulent viruses. You dont even get 100% kill
RS> rate with HIV which is one of the highest kill rates around.

I thought that apart from that small group of HIV-resistant women in
Africa, once you were infected with HIV, you invariably died, albeit as
much as 10 years later.  What about Ebola though, isn't that near 100%
fatal as well?

RS> That does not mean that you necessarily get the population
RS> immune to the virus forever after tho. Like I say, it
RS> depends on what causes the survivors to survive.

True, it'll be interesting if they manage to find out why those women are
immune to HIV too.

Regards, Bill
@EOT:

--- MsgedSQ/2 3.30