Human immunodeficiency virus:HIV, the cause ofAIDS.HIVhas also previously been called the human lymphotropicvirustype III, thelymphadenopathy-associated virusand thelymphadenopathy virus. No matter what name is applied, it is aretrovirus. (A retrovirus has anRNAgenomeand areverse transcriptaseenzyme. Using the reverse transcriptase, the virus uses its RNA as a template for making complementaryDNAwhich can integrate into the DNA of thehostorganism). Although the American researcher Robert Gallo at theNational Institutes of Healthbelieved he was the first to findHIV, it is now generally accepted that the FrenchphysicianLuc Montagnier (1932-) andhisteam at thePasteur Institutediscovered HIVin1983-84.
