FYI : you maybe interested in this story from the BBC news website today.
" BBC NEWS
HIV 'hides from drugs for years'
HIV can survive the apparently effective onslaught of antiviral drugs for years by hiding away in the body's cells, research shows.
The US National Cancer Institute found low levels of dormant HIV in patients seven years after they started - and responded well to - standard therapy.
The finding confirms patients must take drugs indefinitely, and that any break runs the risk of rekindling infection.
The study features in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
People with HIV need to take treatment indefinitely because current drugs cannot reach this pool of dormant virus
Keith Alcorn
NAM
The researchers followed 40 patients infected with HIV for seven years.
Doctors do not usually record infection levels once the number of HIV particles falls below 50 per ml of blood.
However, the NCI team used highly sensitive equipment to measure infection levels below this threshold.
They found that the virus was still present at low levels in 77% of the patients.
The research suggests that although potent antiretroviral therapy can suppress HIV infection to almost undetectable levels, it cannot eradicate the virus.
Renewed risk
The researchers said that even though levels of the virus that remain are low, they are high enough to rekindle infection if treatment is interrupted.
The risk of infecting others is low, but cannot be ruled out.
They believe HIV may be harboured by CD4+ cells, which play a role in the immune system.
These cells are most likely infected before therapy was initiated and the amount of virus they produce is small.
Researcher Dr Sarah Palmer said: "It is extremely important that new drugs are developed to eradicate HIV infection as the side effects associated with long-term HIV treatment can be severe."
She also warned that failing to take prescribed medication raised the risk that HIV could begin to develop resistance, rendering future treatment less effective.
Keith Alcorn, of the HIV information service NAM, said scientists were looking at approaches to treatment that could flush out HIV from cells.
He said: "This research shows that, for the time being, people with HIV need to take treatment indefinitely because current drugs cannot reach this pool of dormant virus.
"If treatment stops, this pool of virus provides the basis for a rapid rebound in virus levels."
Mary Lima, a treatment advisor at the HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust, said: "This study only highlights the complexity of HIV and why it's so difficult for us to find a cure.
"It's important we find out as much as possible about how HIV acts over long periods of time, so we can continue to develop new treatment strategies to tackle it.
In order to keep people with HIV well for longer, we need to attack the virus at all stages."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/7287792.stm
Published: 2008/03/11 08:03:14 GMT
© BBC MMVIII"
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2 comments:
So whats new? We all knew that anyway BUT good on the BEEB to comment. I wonder if the news department would pick up on the DLA witch hunt or would it be TOOOO much for the blue rinse brigade to handle.
By that way I did read some where not so long ago that tests showed that antivirals DID NOT reduce HIV in the BRAIN. DONT QUOTE ME on this BUT will try find the report.
Thanks for this. Someone, left another comment for a website that refered to some research at the University of Californina.
I hope he/she will not mind that I have not published their comment. It was a good piece of research they found. Albeit from a "third party". Just to fully credit the originator. I did find the web address for the original piece of research he referred to.
The University of California has done a study "Brain damage found in HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy".
You can find the research here http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/5911
This is not put up to cause undue alarm. Merely to inform.
Thanks to the contributor for bring this to the attention of us all.
John.
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