Eleni Papadopulos-Eleopulos
Encyclopedia
Eleni Papadopulos-Eleopulos (born in Greece
) is the leader of a group of AIDS denialists who call themselves the "Perth Group" and have claimed since 1988 that HIV
has never been fully isolated and therefore may not exist. Papadopulos-Eleopulos has an undergraduate degree in nuclear physics
from the University of Bucharest
and has worked as a medical technician at Royal Perth Hospital
in Australia
. She has not been involved with research into AIDS or HIV at the hospital, and has been rejected as an expert witness on HIV/AIDS by a South Australia Supreme Court Justice reviewing an appeal on the basis of evidence given by her.
The Perth Group's speculation is completely rejected by the scientific community
as HIV has been adequately isolated and shown to be the cause of AIDS.
. Papadopulos-Eleopulos has no academic appointment and does not hold a doctorate
; her highest academic degree is a Bachelor of Science
in nuclear physics
from the University of Bucharest
. Her duties at the Royal Perth Hospital are to test people for sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation. The Royal Perth Hospital has stated that it does not share the views of Papadopulos-Eleopulos. According to the hospital's executive director, Philip Montgomery:
, who had been convicted on three counts of endangering life through having unprotected sex without informing his partners of his HIV status. Papadopulos-Eleopulos and Turner told the Supreme Court of South Australia
that Parenzee should be acquitted because the existence of HIV had not been proven; HIV tests were unreliable; and there was no evidence for sexual transmission of HIV. Papadopulos-Eleopulos, when asked by a prosecutor if she would herself have unprotected sex with an HIV-positive person, replied, "Any time." Medical experts decried Papadopulos-Eleopulos' statements, with one expert witness calling them "insane", "outrageous" and "dangerous" for apparently encouraging unsafe sex.
In his ruling in April 2007, Justice John Sulan dismissed the testimony of Papadopulos-Eleopulos and Turner and rejected the application for a retrial. He said that the pair were not qualified to give expert opinions about the existence or nature of HIV and that, "the probative value of the evidence proposed to be called by the applicant is minimal." According to Justice Sulan:
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
) is the leader of a group of AIDS denialists who call themselves the "Perth Group" and have claimed since 1988 that HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
has never been fully isolated and therefore may not exist. Papadopulos-Eleopulos has an undergraduate degree in nuclear physics
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
from the University of Bucharest
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest , in Romania, is a university founded in 1864 by decree of Prince Alexander John Cuza to convert the former Saint Sava Academy into the current University of Bucharest.-Presentation:...
and has worked as a medical technician at Royal Perth Hospital
Royal Perth Hospital
Royal Perth Hospital is an 855-bed teaching hospital located on the northeastern edge of the CBD of Perth, Western Australia . Royal Perth Hospital also has specialised rehabilitation facilities at Shenton Park.-History:...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. She has not been involved with research into AIDS or HIV at the hospital, and has been rejected as an expert witness on HIV/AIDS by a South Australia Supreme Court Justice reviewing an appeal on the basis of evidence given by her.
Views on HIV/AIDS
In the view of the Perth Group, consisting of Papadopulos-Eleopulos and a colleague, the scientific community has failed to prove:- That HIV exists as a unique, exogenously acquired retrovirusRetrovirusA retrovirus is an RNA virus that is duplicated in a host cell using the reverse transcriptase enzyme to produce DNA from its RNA genome. The DNA is then incorporated into the host's genome by an integrase enzyme. The virus thereafter replicates as part of the host cell's DNA...
. - That HIV antibody testsHIV testHIV tests are used to detect the presence of the human immunodeficiency virus , the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , in serum, saliva, or urine. Such tests may detect antibodies, antigens, or RNA.- Terminology :...
are specific for HIV infection. - That HIV causes acquired immune deficiency (destruction of T helper cellT helper cellT helper cells are a sub-group of lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, that play an important role in the immune system, particularly in the adaptive immune system. These cells have no cytotoxic or phagocytic activity; they cannot kill infected host cells or pathogens. Rather, they help other...
s, known as AID) or that AID leads to the development of the clinical syndrome AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. - That the HIV genome (RNARNARibonucleic acid , or RNA, is one of the three major macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life....
or DNADNADeoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
) originates in a unique, exogenously acquired infectious retroviral particle. - That HIV/AIDS is infectious, either by blood, blood productsBlood transfusionBlood transfusion is the process of receiving blood products into one's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used in a variety of medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood...
or sexual intercourse. - That a retrovirus HIV may be transmitted from mother to childVertical transmissionVertical transmission, also known as mother-to-child transmission, is the transmission of an infection or other disease from mother to child immediately before and after birth during the perinatal period. A pathogen's transmissibility refers to its capacity for vertical transmission...
or that this transmission may be inhibited with AZTZidovudineZidovudine or azidothymidine is a nucleoside analog reverse-transcriptase inhibitor , a type of antiretroviral drug used for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. It is an analog of thymidine....
or nevirapine.
The Perth Group's speculation is completely rejected by the scientific community
Scientific community
The scientific community consists of the total body of scientists, its relationships and interactions. It is normally divided into "sub-communities" each working on a particular field within science. Objectivity is expected to be achieved by the scientific method...
as HIV has been adequately isolated and shown to be the cause of AIDS.
Lack of academic credentials relevant to HIV
Papadopulos-Eleopulos does not work in HIV research or with AIDS patients but has been incorrectly represented as a doctor. John P. Moore, an AIDS scientist and authority on AIDS denialism, noted in a presentation at the XVI International AIDS Conference that some AIDS denialists refer to Papadopulos-Eleopulos as a doctor and claim that she has been a professor of medical physics at Royal Perth Hospital, a government hospital in Perth, Western AustraliaPerth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. Papadopulos-Eleopulos has no academic appointment and does not hold a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
; her highest academic degree is a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in nuclear physics
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
from the University of Bucharest
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest , in Romania, is a university founded in 1864 by decree of Prince Alexander John Cuza to convert the former Saint Sava Academy into the current University of Bucharest.-Presentation:...
. Her duties at the Royal Perth Hospital are to test people for sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation. The Royal Perth Hospital has stated that it does not share the views of Papadopulos-Eleopulos. According to the hospital's executive director, Philip Montgomery:
Appearance at the appeal trial of Andre Parenzee
In late 2006 and early 2007, Papadopulos-Eleopulos and the other main Perth Group member, Valendar Turner, testified at the appeal for retrial of an HIV-positive man, Andre Chad ParenzeeAndre Chad Parenzee
Andre Chad Parenzee is an HIV-positive Australian man convicted of three counts of endangering human life by exposing others to the risk of infection through unprotected sex as he claimed to them that he was HIV seronegative...
, who had been convicted on three counts of endangering life through having unprotected sex without informing his partners of his HIV status. Papadopulos-Eleopulos and Turner told the Supreme Court of South Australia
Supreme Court of South Australia
The Supreme Court of South Australia is the superior court for the Australian State of South Australia. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters. The Supreme Court is the highest South Australian court in the Australian court...
that Parenzee should be acquitted because the existence of HIV had not been proven; HIV tests were unreliable; and there was no evidence for sexual transmission of HIV. Papadopulos-Eleopulos, when asked by a prosecutor if she would herself have unprotected sex with an HIV-positive person, replied, "Any time." Medical experts decried Papadopulos-Eleopulos' statements, with one expert witness calling them "insane", "outrageous" and "dangerous" for apparently encouraging unsafe sex.
In his ruling in April 2007, Justice John Sulan dismissed the testimony of Papadopulos-Eleopulos and Turner and rejected the application for a retrial. He said that the pair were not qualified to give expert opinions about the existence or nature of HIV and that, "the probative value of the evidence proposed to be called by the applicant is minimal." According to Justice Sulan: