Re: What are the effects of UV light on blood and AIDS.

The Human Immunodeficiency Viruses (HIV-1 and HIV-2) have RNA genomes that would indeed be damaged by UV light. However, the free virus particles, with their RNA genomes, are only one stage of the life cycle of retroviruses. Once a retorvirus enters the host cell (CD4+ T-cells, in the case of HIV), the virus RNA is converted to DNA by the viral reverse transcriptase. The DNA copy is then inserted into the host cell chromosome by the viral integrase enzyme. Once the DNA is inserted into the host cell chromosome, it is not longer possible to get rid of the virus by methods that would remove virus particles.

Another problem is that most CD4+ T-cells are not circulating in the blood, and most HIV-1 virions are also not in the blood. Most T-cells and HIV virions are in lymphatic tissues, and other places such as the lining of the gut. Most of the pathogenesis of HIV takes place in the gut lining and lymph nodes, not in the blood.

So, the short answer is that exposure of blood to UV light would not cure AIDS, nor even greatly improve the health of HIV-infected people. But keep thinking! You never know when a clever idea will turn out to be the one that solves a major problem. Science is still an open frontier with more territory yet to be explored, than has currently been mapped out. Who knows what the future holds for human knowledge?