The case that even if Etienne de Harven turned out to be right and HIV is actually an endogenous retrovirus, if it was reactivated, it could act like a superantigen and disrupt the immune system.
From Perplexity A.I.
Even if Étienne de Harven was correct and HIV is actually an endogenous retrovirus rather than an exogenous infection, its reactivation in human cells could still have profound effects on the immune system, particularly if it acted as a superantigen.
Endogenous Retrovirus Reactivation and Immune Disruption
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are remnants of ancient viral infections integrated into the human genome. Normally, these elements are kept inactive through epigenetic mechanisms, but under conditions such as inflammation, cancer, or immune dysregulation, HERVs can become transcriptionally reactivated. When reactivated, HERVs can trigger immune responses by producing retroviral proteins and viral mimicry signals that activate innate immune pathways such as RIG-I, STING, and cGAS, promoting inflammation and sometimes chronic immune dysregulation.
Retroviral Superantigen Function
Some endogenous retroviral proteins—including those from certain HERV families—can act as superantigens. Superantigens are potent immune activators that non-specifically link major histocompatibility complex class II molecules to large numbers of T-cell receptors (specifically, those with certain Vβ-chain segments), resulting in the activation of a far greater proportion of T-cells than a conventional antigen. This hyperactivation triggers a “cytokine storm” and immune exhaustion, ultimately leading to immune dysregulation or even suppression due to extensive T-cell apoptosis or functional impairment.
Mechanism: Endogenous Retrovirus as Superantigen
If HIV, as an endogenous retrovirus, became reactivated in a significant number of cells—a scenario De Harven and other critics have alluded to as possible if “viral load” simply measures endogenous sequences—retroviral gene products could function as superantigens, much like HERV-K18 has been documented to do. In this scenario:
The reactivated retrovirus would express proteins or peptides that bind both MHC II and the T-cell receptor outside the conventional antigen recognition site.
This would activate a massive percentage of T-cells, far exceeding the normal 0.01% engaged by a conventional antigen, potentially between 5-20% of the T-cell repertoire.
Resultant immune activation leads to a surge in cytokine levels, followed by immune system exhaustion, with persistent inflammation and possible progression to immunodeficiency as T-cells become non-functional or undergo apoptosis.
Summary Table: Endogenous HIV, Superantigen Effect, Immunological Consequence
Mechanism Example/Reference Immunological Consequence
HERV reactivation Innate immune activation, inflammation
Retrovirus superantigen activity Broad T-cell activation, cytokine storm
T-cell exhaustion/immune suppression Immunodeficiency, chronic immune dysfunction
Conclusion
Thus, even from the perspective that HIV is endogenous, reactivation could still drive severe immune disruption. Acting as a superantigen, reactivated HIV could hyperstimulate T-cells, induce widespread cytokine release, and ultimately promote the immune system collapse characteristic of AIDS, providing a plausible mechanistic link between endogenous retrovirus reactivation and acquired immunodeficiency
Could a reactivated endogenous retrovirus then spread person to person?
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A reactivated endogenous retrovirus, in most documented situations, cannot typically spread from person to person like an exogenous infectious virus. Once endogenous retroviral sequences are integrated into the genome, they are passed vertically (heredity) rather than horizontally (infection).
Vertical vs. Horizontal Transmission
Endogenous retroviruses are transmitted vertically—through inheritance via germline (egg or sperm)—not through infectious contact between individuals. When endogenous retroviruses are reactivated, their gene products (proteins, RNA) can affect the host, but due to accumulated mutations over evolutionary time, they rarely produce fully infectious viruses capable of exiting one person and infecting another.
Exceptions and Theoretical Scenarios
In rare circumstances, if a reactivated endogenous retrovirus regains the ability to form infectious particles (i.e., if reverted to functional form by recombination or mutation), horizontal transmission could theoretically occur, but there is no evidence of this happening with human endogenous retroviruses.
Some non-human endogenous retroviruses (such as in pigs) can infect other species under experimental conditions, but human endogenous retroviruses are generally defective and do not form infectious virions.
Influence of Exogenous Viruses
While exogenous viruses (such as EBV, HIV, or SARS-CoV-2) can activate endogenous retroviral gene expression, this does not create new infectious retroviruses able to spread horizontally—rather, it leads to viral mimicry and immunological effects within the host.
Summary Table: Endogenous Retrovirus Transmission
Transmission Route Possibility in Humans Notes
Vertical (hereditary) Yes Through egg/sperm inheritance
Horizontal (infectious) No Not observed in humans
Reactivation causing spread No Reactivation affects only host
A reactivated endogenous retrovirus cannot infect others via person-to-person transmission unless rare events restored its infectious capabilities, which is not observed in humans.A reactivated endogenous retrovirus generally cannot spread from person to person because these sequences are integrated into the host's DNA and primarily transmitted vertically, meaning from parent to child through inheritance, not via infectious contact. Although reactivation can lead to production of retroviral proteins and even defective viral particles, in humans these viruses are usually too mutated to form infectious virions capable of exiting the host and establishing infection in others.
In rare theoretical scenarios, if recombination or mutations restored the ability to form infectious and functionally complete viral particles, horizontal transmission (person-to-person spread) could occur—but this has not been observed with human endogenous retroviruses. Instead, effects of reactivation are generally limited to the individual, through immune system disruption and inflammation, without generating new infectious particles that would facilitate transmission to others.
