First HIV hybrid formed in a human revealed

[Guest guest]

> New Scientist

> First HIV hybrid formed in a human revealed

> http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993941

>

> 18:47 15 July 03

>

> NewScientist.com news service

>

> The first case of two strains of HIV combining to form a new hybrid virus

in

> a human has been revealed by researchers.

> More than one type of the deadly virus can infect a person at the same

> time - a state called " superinfection " . Scientists have long suspected

that

> different strains could combine to produce a hybrid - but this had never

> been demonstrated before.

> Now scientists have shown that two major subtypes of HIV-1 swapped genes

> with each other to form an entirely new virus in a female patient.

> Furthermore, the hybrid took over from the original infections to become

the

> dominant virus in the woman's body. This caused her condition, which had

> been relatively stable, to rapidly deteriorate.

> As well as worsening the outlook for individual patients, this ability of

> HIV strains to recombine could pose a crucial stumbling block in the hunt

> for an AIDS vaccine. " Recombination resulting from superinfection with

> diverse strains may pose problems for eliciting the broad immune responses

> necessary for an effective vaccine, " said Harold Burger, of the Wadsworth

> Center in Albany, New York, who led the research.

>

> Sex workers

>

> " The issue is can you get a vaccine that will cover all subtypes? " agrees

> Anton Pozniak, an AIDS specialist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in

> London, UK. He says even a vaccine that covers all existing subtypes could

> then be defeated by a new hybrid.

> Burger and colleagues examined the virus found in a woman patient taking

> part in an ongoing study of Kenyan prostitutes - the Nairobi's Punwami Sex

> Workers Cohort. She had first been tested in 1986 and was found to be

> infected only with HIV-1 subtype A. Despite continuing exposure to the

virus

> through her work as a prostitute she remained relatively healthy.

> However, she was suddenly struck by an acute febrile illness in April

1992.

> Her CD4 white blood cell count plummeted by more than 80 per cent and the

> amount of virus in her blood simultaneously rose.

> When genetic material from the HIV in the woman's blood was analysed again

> in 1995 and 1997, the dominant hybrid was one that contained DNA from both

> type A and type C was discovered. The hybrid took most of its genetic

> material from subtype A, but sections coding for the virus's outer coat

> originally belonged to subtype C.

> The new work was presented at an International AIDS Society conference in

> Paris on Monday.

>

> Shaoni Bhattacharya

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

---

I did not see the USP in that article and if they saw it, you can

bet they patented it!

BTW just funning with ya lucky

 

 

In , " luckypig " <luckypig@i...>

wrote:

> > New Scientist

> > First HIV hybrid formed in a human revealed

> > http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993941

> >

> > 18:47 15 July 03

> >

> > NewScientist.com news service

> >

> > The first case of two strains of HIV combining to form a new

hybrid virus

> in

> > a human has been revealed by researchers.

> > More than one type of the deadly virus can infect a person at

the same

> > time - a state called " superinfection " . Scientists have long

suspected

> that

> > different strains could combine to produce a hybrid - but this

had never

> > been demonstrated before.

> > Now scientists have shown that two major subtypes of HIV-1

swapped genes

> > with each other to form an entirely new virus in a female

patient.

> > Furthermore, the hybrid took over from the original infections

to become

> the

> > dominant virus in the woman's body. This caused her condition,

which had

> > been relatively stable, to rapidly deteriorate.

> > As well as worsening the outlook for individual patients, this

ability of

> > HIV strains to recombine could pose a crucial stumbling block in

the hunt

> > for an AIDS vaccine. " Recombination resulting from

superinfection with

> > diverse strains may pose problems for eliciting the broad immune

responses

> > necessary for an effective vaccine, " said Harold Burger, of the

Wadsworth

> > Center in Albany, New York, who led the research.

> >

> > Sex workers

> >

> > " The issue is can you get a vaccine that will cover all

subtypes? " agrees

> > Anton Pozniak, an AIDS specialist at Chelsea and Westminster

Hospital in

> > London, UK. He says even a vaccine that covers all existing

subtypes could

> > then be defeated by a new hybrid.

> > Burger and colleagues examined the virus found in a woman

patient taking

> > part in an ongoing study of Kenyan prostitutes - the Nairobi's

Punwami Sex

> > Workers Cohort. She had first been tested in 1986 and was found

to be

> > infected only with HIV-1 subtype A. Despite continuing exposure

to the

> virus

> > through her work as a prostitute she remained relatively healthy.

> > However, she was suddenly struck by an acute febrile illness in

April

> 1992.

> > Her CD4 white blood cell count plummeted by more than 80 per

cent and the

> > amount of virus in her blood simultaneously rose.

> > When genetic material from the HIV in the woman's blood was

analysed again

> > in 1995 and 1997, the dominant hybrid was one that contained DNA

from both

> > type A and type C was discovered. The hybrid took most of its

genetic

> > material from subtype A, but sections coding for the virus's

outer coat

> > originally belonged to subtype C.

> > The new work was presented at an International AIDS Society

conference in

> > Paris on Monday.

> >

> > Shaoni Bhattacharya

> >

> >

> >

> >