Is this true?
See the update here:
The rumor that rhesus negative people are somehow immune to HIV/AIDS will not die down. Even though it has been proven that this is not the case. There might be indication that rhesus negative people are less likely to contract the HIV virus, but claiming that “O negative people cannot get it” is plain and simply false.
Continue here: Despite the rumors, rhesus negative people CAN get AIDS
Is it true that rh negative people cannot get HIV/AIDS?
Or rather that O negative people cannot contract the virus?
I was hoping to find a study with a substantial amount of subjects and not one rh or O negative patients amongst them, but that didn’t happen.
Here are some studies I have found:
The Role of Red Blood Cells in Enhancing or Preventing HIV Infection and Other Diseases
HIV infection has been reported to occur in select blood groups in some regions of the world. A study by Sayal et al. in India reported a preponderance for infection in group O Rh(D)-positive men and least among groups B positive and D-negative ones.
In a separate study, Abdulazeez and colleagues working with HIV-1 and -2 reported a higher prevalence of HIV-2 (71.4%) compared to HIV-1 (7.1%) in the AB blood group and that Rh(D) positive (97.8%) was more susceptible than D negative (2.2%).
Blood Group Phenotypes and HIV Infection Rates
The incidence of HIV infection among the secretors was further stratified based on ABO blood groups. The incidence of HIV infection was the highest among blood group A secretors and when compared to blood group O, this difference was significant (p = 0.028; OR, 1.556; 95% CI, 1.061–2.280), blood group B, of modest significance (p = 0.066; OR, 1.625; 95% CI, 0.944–2.799) and blood group AB, not significant (p = 0.355; OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 0.573–3.930).
Source: Mucosal Blood Group Antigen Expression Profiles and HIV Infections
Some people are genetically at greater risk of HIV infection than others.
The first genetic mutation associated with HIV susceptibility was identified in the mid-1990s. Known as the CCR5-Delta32 mutation, it seems to confer strong resistance to infection by HIV. This gene mutation is found most commonly in certain European populations.
They found that the cells of people who express high levels of Pk, a rare group representing about one in a million people, were resistant to HIV infection. Conversely, the cells of those who express no Pk at all, representing about five in a million people, were particularly susceptible to HIV infection.
Source: The human Pk histo-blood group antigen provides protection against HIV-1 infection
In conclusion:
The role of ABO blood groups in infectious and non infectious diseases is well established. Much scientific evidence also exists to support the role of erythrocytes in binding viruses and facilitating infection of permissive cells. Some blood groups such as the Duffy type are implicated as candidate molecules. Other molecules such as the Pk blood group which are present in Caucasian populations have been shown to confer resistance to HIV infection. The study of blood groups in HIV infection may shed light on the dynamics of HIV epidemiology, especially in hard-hit SubSaharan Africa.
Finally, HIV continues to take a toll on the health and economies of the world especially the developing countries. To date a cure for this virus continues to be elusive. However, a virtually complete remission has been attained in one patient following a bone marrow transplant of a CCR5Δ32/Δ32 mutant cell line. However, despite this milestone, donors with this mutation are still far too rare and limited to European populations. Very few studies have focused on the role of blood groups in preventing or enhancing HIV infection, and these few had the limited scope of only looking at the ABH and Rh(D) blood groups.
Rh negative people may be less likely to get HIV/AIDS. But we are far from immune.
So be careful and don´t assume that you are protected by your blood type regardless what it is!
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