h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I was reading an article recently that suggested that the black death may, in fact, not have been the rat/flea borne bubonic plague but rather a virus, perhaps similar to Ebola. The grounds for this are the rate of infection spreading and various others.

This line of speculation came about by analysis of local records regarding the black death and infection rates - which seem very very fast for the rat/flea hypothesis. This is especially interesting when linked to a genetic mutation that appeared in Europe at approximately the same time as the black death - called CCR5 - that may have prevented the plague from infecting the white blood cells.

This is the same way that AIDS attacks the body, and because, incredibly, there is some evidence that people with this mutation are very resistant to AIDS, even immune. Check this out http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_plague/index.html

Assuming aids does the same thing, couldn't this be applied for a possable cure, or at least an inoculation? If so why hasen't it?

Who said they weren't - these thinks (like Pantene shampoo) don't happen overnight

How unfortunate. (the cure not the shampoo.)

maybe there was no money in it?