Not too many people pay attention to this one and in some circles it's been buried. Most people don't realize that the standard test for Stealth
Virus HIV-1, does NOT cover Group O. Most people think that when they get an HIV test that it covers all forms of HIV. But it does NOT. The standard
test for HIV-1 does not screen for Group O. A separate test is required for that subtype.
What is stealth virus Group O? It is a variant of HIV-1, predominantly from the country of Cameroon. Group O was discovered in the 1990s.
HIV-1, Group O Virus Identified in the United States
In 1994, seven unusual cases of HIV infection were identified in France (1). These cases occurred in foreign nationals whose specimens had atypical
Western blot patterns and weak or no seroreactivity in HIV-1 peptide or recombinant-based enzyme immunoassays (EIA).
Group O is unique in that
upon its discovery Group O was already resistant to various antiviral and antiretroviral drugs. Odd isn't it? That a
subtype of HIV in the 1990s was already resistant to antiviral drugs before anyone was officially given any antiviral drugs to combat it?!?
Reviews Impact of clade diversity on HIV-1 virulence, antiretroviral drugs
Antiviral Drug Resistence and the Need for Development of New HIV-1 Reverse Transcript
Inhibitors
Antiretroviral drug resistance in non-subtype B HIV-1, HIV-2
Anyhow, what happened with Stealth Virus Group O was upon its discovery, Bayer pharmaceutical suddenly had all paperwork ready for a global patent on
testing for Group O. That means that
no other pharmaceutical company is allowed to develop a test for this subtype. Think of it like the global
patent that Bayer has on antibiotics for Anthrax and how no other pharmaceutical company is allowed to develop or sell an antibiotic for anthrax.
Bayer's global patent on testing for Stealth Virus Group O is pretty much the same type of global patent. It prevents anyone else for developing a
test.
Bayer Granted License to Manufacture AIDS Test
The worldwide, non-exclusive license was granted under the patent rights of Switzerland-based Roche Diagnostics GmbH and Dade Behring, based in
Deerfield, Ill.
The license will allow Bayer Diagnostics to manufacture immunoassays that detect exposure to a specific kind of HIV infection known as HIV Group O.
Which means that everyone getting HIV screening has assumed that the test covers all forms of HIV-1, but it doesn't. Only a separate test can be
issued by Bayer for Group O only and no one can add it into screening with the rest of HIV-1.
I suppose what's especially odd is that the only pharmaceutical company testing antiviral drugs in the former German colony of Cameroon from the
1950s to the 1990s was Bayer. And low and behold, Group O is resistant to antiviral drugs upon discovery, with Bayer there to slap the world with a
global patent on testing. Wasn't that just so convenient for them?
IS THE STEALTH VIRUS HIV-1, GROUP O TEST ANY GOOD?
That's hard to say, if no other pharmaceutical company is allowed to develop a test, how can anyone say if Bayer is even providing an accurate test?
Does Bayer have any motive to provide an accurate test for Stealth Virus HIV-1, Group O?
And when looking at the lawsuits against Bayer by hemophiliacs and Bayer selling infected blood products to them, one would conclude, NO. Bayer would
not have motive to sell a valid Group O test. If they did, then the families of hemophiliacs who purchased infected blood products from Bayer would
turn around and sue a 2nd time if they discovered they had Group O. I'll enlighten you on this history a bit more.
Short summary of Hemophiliacs suing Bayer
In the 1990s, hemophiliacs buying Bayer blood products sued because of the methods Bayer was using to sell its blood products. The technique was that
they would take blood donors from a bunch of different countries in Africa (including Cameroon with Group O) and they would mix the blood together of
100 donors to extract the blood clotting product for hemophiliacs. Hemophiliacs around the world ended up with HIV.
At first Haemophiliacs in the United States and Japan sued. They won and Bayer's blood clotting products was court ordered off the market. But even
though U.S. and Japanese courts ordered it off the market, Bayer continued to sell the knowingly infected products to Central and South America and
Southeast Asia for at least another year. So
yes, they did it on purpose. Then later lawsuits were filed by Central and South American and
Southeast Asia hemophiliacs.
Haemophilia patients launch action against Bayer over Tainted blood products
Hemophiliac Lawsuit against Bayer
Bayer Documents: AIDS Tainted Blood Killed Thousands of Hemophiliacs
Contaminated Haemophilia Blood Products: Wikipedia
Bayer Sued by Hemophiliacs
Taiwanese Hemophiliacs File Lawsuit Against Bayer over Blood Products
BUNK TESTS FOR GROUP O
Just as Bayer can stop shipment of infected blood products to the United States and Japan and then simultaneously continue to ship infected blood
products to Central and South America and Southeast Asia, THEY CAN DO THE SAME THING WITH SHIPMENTS OF TESTS for Group O.
All they'd have to do is supply CDC Atlanta with an accurate test and then if they wanted to, they could ship bunk tests to California, or bunk tests
to Mexico. They control shipment of their product, right, just like they control shipment of their blood products to various areas of the world.
If Bayer were to sell accurate tests to all areas of the world, then they'd be looking at a 2nd set of lawsuits by haemophiliacs and their families
for haemophiliacs who had discovered that they were infected with Group O.
So how can any country or any region of the world determine if Bayer is giving them a valid test or a bunk test? Especially when no other
pharmaceutical company is allowed to develop a competing test?