Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Multidisciplinary Approach to HIV/AIDS: Historical Perspective

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Global Virology II - HIV and NeuroAIDS

Abstract

It is probable that humans were first infected with HIV in the Kinshasa region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 1950s and yet many decades later we are still studying and discovering how best to control what has become a global epidemic. One of the epicenters of the disease was in Miami when people with symptoms that were inexplicable in their particular populations became of interest to clinicians and scientists. This was occurring in other major cities, which also became the epicenters for this strange and destructive disease. This chapter highlights the history of one local region of the United States, Miami-Dade County, Florida and exemplifies the global problem. This chapter will indicate how local teams of scientists were called into action to address the impending epidemic. This is an example of how modern science can mobilize scientific teams that discover the origins and consequences of a highly complex disease. Eventually from that, scientific and medical foundations began to develop interventions for the control of HIV/AIDS and its related consequences.

Recounting the beginnings of the research locally demonstrates significantly the importance of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches. The organizations responsible globally, nationally, and locally investigated many aspects of the populations that were afflicted with this communicable disease. Laboratory analysis proceeded in concert with the multiple strategies from clinics to neighborhood street outreach workers and then back into the laboratories. What happened in the city of Miami, and specifically at the University of Miami, is a story of how remarkable scientific endeavors can be and account for the effectiveness of science in the modern world. It also demonstrates how the scientific approach moves from the local to the national and then global level as its findings are disseminated to ensure verifiable evidence that is generalizable to global populations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. McCoy CB (2009) Institutionalization of drug abuse research in academia—one professor’s view. J Drug Issues 39(1):15–20, reflections

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Faria NR, Rambaut A, Suchard MA, Baele G, Bedford T, Ward MJ, Tatem AJ, Sousa JD, Arinaminpathy N, Pepin J, Posada D, Peeters M, Pybus OG, Lemey P (2014) The early spread and epidemic ignition of HIV-1 in human populations. Science 346(6205):56–61. Published online 2014 Oct. 2. doi: 10.1126/science.1256739. PMCID: PMC4254776. NIHMSID: NIHMS638717

  3. Vangroenweghe D (2001) The earliest cases of HIV-1 group M in Congo-Kinshasa, Rwanda, and Burundi and the origin of AIDS. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B 356:923–925

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. McCoy CB, Inciardi J (1995) Sex, drugs, and the continuing spread of AIDS. Los Angeles, Roxbury

    Google Scholar 

  5. McCoy CB, Shapshak P, Shah SM, McCoy HV, Rivers JE, Page JB, Chitwood DD, Weatherby NL, Inciardi JA, McBride DC, Mash DC, Watters JK (1994) HIV-1 prevention: interdisciplinary studies and reviews on efficacy of bleach and compliance to bleach prevention protocols. Proceedings of the workshop on needle exchange and bleach distribution programs, Panel on Needle Exchange and Bleach Distribution Programs, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, National Academy Press, Washington, DC, pp 255–283

    Google Scholar 

  6. Shapshak P, McCoy CB, Rivers J, Mash DC, Chitwood DD, Weatherby N, Shah SM (1993) Bleach effectively inactivates HIV-1 at short time intervals. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 6:218–219

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Shultz JM, Damoulaki-Sfakianaki E, Metellus G, Gnesda D, McCoy CB (1995) Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in Miami/Dade County, Florida: the first 10,000 cases. Miami Med 66:17–22

    Google Scholar 

  8. McCoy CB, Metsch LR, Collado-Mesa F, Arheart KL, Messiah SE, Katz D, Shapshak P (2004) The prevalence of HCV and HIV among injection drug users who use high risk inner-city locales in Miami, Florida. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 99:789–793

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Barré-Sinoussi, F. et al (1983) ‘Isolation of a T-lymphotropic retrovirus from a patient at risk for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)’ Science 220(4599):868–871 – See more at: http://www.avert.org/professionals/history-hiv-aids/overview#footnote16_67g5goy

  10. Centers for Disease Control (1982). Current trends update on acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) – United States. MMWR 31(37):507–508 – See more at: http://www.avert.org/professionals/history-hiv-aids/overview#footnote9_q000h3s

  11. Florida Department of Health. HIV infection in Florida into the third decade: a historical perspective 1981–2012. 2013. http://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/aids/surveillance/_documents/HIV-AIDS-slide%20sets/Year_by_Year_1981-2012.pdf

  12. Shultz JM, Elliott L, McCoy CB, Simmons JR, Lieb S, LaLota M, Hopkins RS (1991) Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome – Dade County, Florida, 1981–1990. MMWR 40:489–493

    Google Scholar 

  13. Gilbert MT, Rambaut A, Wlasiuk G, Spira TJ, Pitchenik AE, Worobey M (2007) The emergence of HIV/AIDS in the Americas and beyond. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 104(47):18566–18570. Epub 2007 Oct 31. PMID:17978186

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Florida Department of Health, Bureau of HIV/AIDS (2016). http://miamidade.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/infectious-disease-services/hiv-aids-services/_documents/hiv-surveillance%20monthly-report-2016-01.pdf

  15. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2001) First report of AIDS. MMWR 50:429–444

    Google Scholar 

  16. Chitwood DD, McCoy CB, Inciardi JA, McBride DC, Comerford J, Trapido E, McCoy V, Page JB, Fletcher MA, Ashman M (1990) HIV sero-positivity of needles from “shooting galleries” in Miami, Florida: prevalence and contagion risk. Am J Public Health 80:150–152

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. McCoy CB, Metsch LR, Chitwood DD, Shapshak P, Comerford ST (1998) Parenteral transmission of HIV among injection drug users: assessing the frequency of multi-person use of needles, syringes, cookers, cotton, and water. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirol 18:S25–S29

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Shapshak P, McCoy CB, Rivers J, Mash DC, Chitwood DD, Weatherby N, Shah SM (1993) Bleach effectively inactivates HIV-1 at short time intervals. J AIDS 6:218–219

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Shapshak P, McCoy CB, Shah SM, Page JB, Rivers J, Weatherby N, Chitwood DD, Mash DC (1994) Preliminary laboratory studies on inactivation of HIV-1 in needles and syringes containing infected blood using undiluted household bleach. J AIDS 7:754–759

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Mirko DG (1990) History of AIDS: emergence and origin of a modern pandemic. Princeton University Press, Princeton. Ratner L, Haseltine W, Patarca R, Livak KJ, Starcich B, Josephs SF, Doran ER, Rafalski JA, Whitehorn EA, Baumeister K, et al (1985) Complete nucleotide sequence of the AIDS virus, HTLV-III. Nature 313(6000):277–284. PMID:2578615

  21. McCoy CB, Lai S, Metsch LR, Messiah SE, Zhao W (2004) Injection drug use and crack cocaine smoking: independent and dual risk behaviors for HIV infection. Ann Epidemiol 14:535–542

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Alizon M, Wain-Hobson S, Montagnier L, Sonigo P (1986) Genetic variability of the AIDS virus: nucleotide sequence analysis of two isolates from African patients. Cell 46(1):63–74. PMID:2424612

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Leitner T, Escanilla D, Franzén C, Uhlén M, Albert J (1996) Accurate reconstruction of a known HIV-1 transmission history by phylogenetic tree analysis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 93(20):10864–10869. PMID: 8855273

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  24. CY O, Ciesielski CA, Myers G, Bandea CI, Luo CC, Korber BT, Mullins JI, Schochetman G, Berkelman RL, Economou AN et al (1992) Molecular epidemiology of HIV transmission in a dental practice. Science 256(5060):1165–1171. PMID: 1589796

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Edlin BR, Irwin KL, Faruque S, McCoy CB, Word C, Serrano Y, Inciardi JA, Bowser BP, Schilling RF, Holmberg SD (1994) Intersecting epidemics–crack cocaine use and HIV infection among inner-city young adults. Multicenter Crack Cocaine and HIV Infection Study Team. N Engl J Med 331:1422–1427

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Scott S, Santibanez RS, Garfein AS, Kerndt PR, Morse E, Ompad D, Strathdee S, Williams IT, Friedman SR, Ouellet LJ (2005) Prevalence and correlates of crack-cocaine injection among young injection drug users in the United States, 1997–1999. Drug Alcohol Depend 77(3):227–233

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Chitwood DD, Inciardi JA, McBride DC, McCoy CB, McCoy V, Trapido EJ (1991) A community approach to AIDS intervention: exploring the Miami outreach project for intravenous drug users and other high risk groups. Greenwood Press, Westport

    Google Scholar 

  28. Fanales-Belasio E, Raimondo M, Suligoi B, Butto S (2010) HIV virology and pathogenetic mechanisms of infection: a brief overview. Ann Ist Super Sanita 46(1):5–14. doi:10.4415/ANN_10_01_02

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Klatt EC (2016) Pathology of HIV/AIDS. Version 27. Mercer University School of Medicine, Savannah. http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/AIDS2016.PDF

  30. Shapshak P, Fujimura RK, Page JB, Segal D, Yang J, Shah SM, Graham G, Rivers JE, Chitwood DD, McCoy CB (2000) HIV-1 RNA load in needle/syringes from shooting galleries in Miami: a preliminary laboratory report. Drug Alcohol Depend 58:153–157

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Mason JO, Noble GR, Lindsey BK et al (1988) Current CDC efforts to prevent and control human immunodeficiency virus infection and AIDS in the United States through information and education. Public Health Rep 103:255–263

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  32. Florida Department of Health (2014) HIV/AIDS, surveillance, monthly surveillance reports, February 2014. http://www.floridahealth.gov/%5C/diseases-and-conditions/aids/surveillance/_documents/msr/2014-msr/MSR0214.pdf

  33. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2014) HIV and AIDS in America: a snapshot. https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/docs/factsheets/hiv-and-aids-in-america-a-snapshot-508.pdf

  34. Gallo RC, Salahuddin SZ, Popovic M et al (1984) Frequent detection and isolation of cytopathic retroviruses (HTLV-III) from patients with AIDS and at risk for AIDS. Science 224:500–503

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. HIV infection in Florida. Into the third decade an historical perspective. 1981–2012 HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis Section Division of Disease Control and Health Protection. Data as of 12/2012

    Google Scholar 

  36. Henry J, Kaiser Family Foundation (2015) The global HIV/AIDS epidemic. http://kff.org/global-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-global-hivaids-epidemic/

  37. CDC. HIV Surveillance Report, Vol. 23; February 2013. HIV diagnosis data are estimates from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 6 U.S. dependent areas. Rates do not include U.S. dependent areas

    Google Scholar 

  38. Gayle HD, Hill GL (2001) Global impact of human immunodeficiency virus and AIDS. Clin Microbiol Rev 14(2):327–335

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  39. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (2015) HIV/AIDS 101: global statistics

    Google Scholar 

  40. McCoy CB, Achi R, Wolfe HP, Crandall LA (2005) The CDRC principles of international health research. J Urban Health 82(3):iv5–iv8

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. The INSIGHT START Study Group (2015) Initiation of antiretroviral therapy in early asymptomatic HIV infection. N Engl J Med 373:795–807. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1506816

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Clyde B. McCoy and A. Jeanene Bengoa contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1120 NW 14 Street, CRB 1507, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Clyde B. McCoy, A. Jeanene Bengoa, Duane C. McBride, Shikha Puri & Alejandro J. Mendez

  2. Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA

    Brian T. Foley

  3. Division of Infectious Disease and International Health, Department of Internal Medicine, Tampa General Hospital, University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, 33606, USA

    Paul Shapshak

Authors
  1. Clyde B. McCoy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. Jeanene Bengoa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Duane C. McBride
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Brian T. Foley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Shikha Puri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Alejandro J. Mendez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Paul Shapshak
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Clyde B. McCoy .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA

    Paul Shapshak

  2. Department of Neurology, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Andrew J. Levine

  3. Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA

    Brian T. Foley

  4. Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida, USA

    Charurut Somboonwit

  5. Department of Neurology, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Elyse Singer

  6. Department of Oral Biology and Medicine, UCLA School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Francesco Chiappelli

  7. Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida, USA

    John T. Sinnott

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media LLC

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

McCoy, C.B. et al. (2017). Multidisciplinary Approach to HIV/AIDS: Historical Perspective. In: Shapshak, P., et al. Global Virology II - HIV and NeuroAIDS. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7290-6_1

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation