Table 1 Factors that led to consensus that human retroviruses did not exist
From: The discovery of the first human retrovirus: HTLV-1 and HTLV-2
1. Failure to discover them after an extensive survey by many investigators in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. |
2. Ease of detection in animal models because of extensive virema. |
3. Difficulties in growing primary human cells. |
4. Results showing human sera with complement lysed animal retroviruses. |