Human immunodeficiency virus infection drug resistance

Balzarini J, Karlsson A, Perez-Perez MJ, Camarasa MJ, Tarpley WG, De Clercq E. Treatment of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HlV-l)-infected cells with combinations of HIV-1-specific inhibitors results in a different resistance pattern than does treatment with single-drug therapy. J Virol 1993 67 5353-5359. 

Shafer RW, Kozal MI, Winters M, Iversen AKN, Katenstein DA, Ragni MV, et al. Combination therapy with zidovudine and didanosine selects for drug-resistant human immunodeficiency virus type 1 strains with unique patterns of pol gene mutations. J Infect Dis 1994 169 722-729. 

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is one of only a few retroviruses known to infect humans. It is estimated that approximately twenty-two million people are now infected worldwide [1]. With only a tiny number of exceptions, infection ultimately leads to the development of the lethal condition of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. To date, only a handful of drugs have been shown to have any effect on the course of the disease. These are, in general, relatively ineffective at significantly prolonging life, and drug resistance develops rapidly. Equally discouraging, vaccines have not yet been developed to prevent infection. 

Kaye, S., Loveday, C., and Tedder R. S. (1992) A microtitre format point mutaion assay Application to the detection of drug resistance in human immunodeficiency virus type-1 infected patients treadted with zidovudine. J. Med. Virol. 37,241-246. 

Schmit, J.-C., Cogniaux, J., Hermans, P Van Vaeck, C., Sprecher, S Van Remoortel, B., Witvrouw, M Balzarini, J., Desmyter, J., De Clercq, E., and Vandamme, A.-M. (1996) Multiple drug resistance to nucleoside analogues and nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors in an efficiently replicating human immunodeficiency virus type 1 patient strain../. Infect. Dis. 174,962-968. 

Hirsch MS, Brun-Vezinet F, Clotet B, Conway B, Kuritzkes DR, D Aquda RT, et al. Antiretroviral drug resistance testing in adults with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 2003 recommendations of an international AIDS Society-USA panel. Chn Infect Dis 2003 37 113-28. 

AIDS (Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome) poses a threat to India as a large number of people are infected with HTV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). There are no drugs today for AIDS. The problem which has dogged anti- HIV drugs is that resistant mutant forms of virus are formed within mere weeks. Lot of research work is to be done in search of a vaccine against HIV. 

Impact on Other Medical Fields. Discoveries from parasitology have filtered into other areas of research and development. For example, the physiological reaction to parasite infection gives important clues about the function of the immune system and the development of resistance. In some cases, medications developed to combat parasite infection have been found to have beneficial therapeutic effects for other types of diseases. In 2008, for instance, it was discovered that miltefosine, a drug used to treat patients suffering from protozoan infections, could potentially be effective in treating people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Miltefosine... 

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