Thousand of mostly defective viruses exist in each human’s genes, including some which could trigger infections such as schizophrenia, breast cancer, haemophilia, rheumatic disorders, multiple sclerosis, type-I diabetes and even AIDS. These viruses are called human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), which were originally discovered in some animals, but their pathogenic threat to humans only became clear with the discovery of sexually transmitted diseases, and even more so with the arrival of human immunodeficiency viruses, which ushered in the lethal pandemic now underway. This was stated by University of South California Laboratory of Viral Oncology and Proteomics Research Director Prof Suraiya Rasheed during a lecture on “Human Endogenous Retroviruses in Health and Disease” at the University of Health Sciences (UHS) on Monday. A large number of medical students attended the lecture. Suraiya said HERVs made up 98,000 elements and fragments – nearly 8 percent – of the entire human genome.
