Send to a Friend

gorillapaws's avatar

Could HIV ever mutate to spread like the cold?

Asked by gorillapaws (30520points) July 16th, 2010

Would it ever be possible for HIV to mutate into a virus that spreads like the cold, but still retain it’s lethal behavior? Is there something related to the anatomy of the HIV virus that would prevent it from mutating into a strain that can survive outside the body and be transmitted through airborne contact?

What makes the thought so scary is that you could be a carrier and able to transmit the disease without having symptoms, so by the time you realize you’re sick you’ve basically already infected everyone around you.

Using Fluther

or

Using Email

Separate multiple emails with commas.
We’ll only use these emails for this message.