Compared with Western white people, Chinese are genetically prone to contract AIDS via sex, a research group led by Dr Wang Fusheng drew the conclusion after examination and analysis of 2318 gene samples collected from ordinary folks from eight ethic groups since 1997.

Dr Wang, who is now working in the infectious disease research institute of No 302 Hospital, noticed that black people were easier to be infected with AIDS than white people when he was studying and working in the US. Related studies showed that, except for social reasons, genetic factors also played a big role in AIDS infection. After returning to the motherland, Dr Wang started his studies on Chinese people's infection from a genetic view.

There are three kinds of genes for HIV prevention, recent studies revealed, of which CCR5 is the most important one, for after mutation it is able to fight HIV. The CCR5 mutation rate, for European people, is 10 percent, but is only 0.16 percent for Chinese. So Chinese are prone to contract AIDS in this point of view. However, Dr Wang said, Chinese have much advantage in the other two genes, those function is to delay the growth of HIV virus.

The study will continue and, as reported, scientists would develop anti-AIDS medicine based on understanding of genetic characters of Chinese.

(People's Daily April 5, 2002)