There are many problems with this interpretation:

1. The enzyme RT is not specific for retroviruses. Indeed, since in 1972 Gallo showed that reverse transcriptase is found in normal non-infected cells, and in 1973 Barre-Sinoussi and Chermann acknowledge this fact, it is curious that ten years later they claim that the RT in this case proved HIV infection.

2. Furthermore, they did not prove the existence of an RT enzyme but only the ability of the cultures to reverse transcribe, that is, RT activity. However, the template primer An.dT15 can be transcribed not only by RT but by the normal cellular DNA polymerases.

3. Not all particles which look like retrovirus are viruses.