Gert van der Hoek
In Memoriam - Editor, Senior Moderator
New HIV strain discovered in West Africa leads much sooner to Aids
Saturday, 30 November, 2013
A new and more aggressive strain of HIV discovered in West Africa causes significantly faster progression to Aids, researchers at Sweden's Lund University said.
The new strain of the virus that causes Aids, called A3/02, is a fusion of the two most common HIV strains in Guinea-Bissau. It has so far only been found in West Africa.
"Individuals who are infected with the new recombinant form develop Aids within five years, and that's about two to two-and-a-half years faster than one of the parent (strains)," said Angelica Palm, one of the scientists responsible for the study based on a long-term follow-up of HIV-positive people in Guinea-Bissau.
Read more: SCMP
Aggressive New HIV Strain In West Africa Develops Into AIDS More Rapidly: What Is A 'Recombinant' Virus?
By Susan Scutti | Nov 29, 2013
Over 60 epidemic strains of HIV-1 exist in the world, so when researchers discovered a new one in West Africa, the only alarm bell that sounded was the fact that this new strain progresses very rapidly. This new bug can progress from infection to the development of AIDS in just about five years. “Individuals infected with [the new strain] have among the fastest progression rates to AIDS reported to date,” wrote the authors in their study.
Recombinant Forms
The new strain is known as a recombinant form of the virus; geographic regions are often dominated by only one or two epidemic strains of HIV, and sometimes a person may become infected with two different strains, usually because they have traveled to or met someone from another region. In such cases, two strains of the virus may meld and form a “recombinant.” The recombinant discovered by the Swedish researchers, during long-term follow-up of HIV-infected individuals in Guinea-Bissau, is called A3/02 and is a cross between the most common strains, 02AG and A3, found in that region of West Africa. So far, the new strain has only been identified in West Africa.
Read more: Medical Daily
Saturday, 30 November, 2013
A new and more aggressive strain of HIV discovered in West Africa causes significantly faster progression to Aids, researchers at Sweden's Lund University said.
The new strain of the virus that causes Aids, called A3/02, is a fusion of the two most common HIV strains in Guinea-Bissau. It has so far only been found in West Africa.
"Individuals who are infected with the new recombinant form develop Aids within five years, and that's about two to two-and-a-half years faster than one of the parent (strains)," said Angelica Palm, one of the scientists responsible for the study based on a long-term follow-up of HIV-positive people in Guinea-Bissau.
Read more: SCMP
Aggressive New HIV Strain In West Africa Develops Into AIDS More Rapidly: What Is A 'Recombinant' Virus?
By Susan Scutti | Nov 29, 2013
Over 60 epidemic strains of HIV-1 exist in the world, so when researchers discovered a new one in West Africa, the only alarm bell that sounded was the fact that this new strain progresses very rapidly. This new bug can progress from infection to the development of AIDS in just about five years. “Individuals infected with [the new strain] have among the fastest progression rates to AIDS reported to date,” wrote the authors in their study.
Recombinant Forms
The new strain is known as a recombinant form of the virus; geographic regions are often dominated by only one or two epidemic strains of HIV, and sometimes a person may become infected with two different strains, usually because they have traveled to or met someone from another region. In such cases, two strains of the virus may meld and form a “recombinant.” The recombinant discovered by the Swedish researchers, during long-term follow-up of HIV-infected individuals in Guinea-Bissau, is called A3/02 and is a cross between the most common strains, 02AG and A3, found in that region of West Africa. So far, the new strain has only been identified in West Africa.
Read more: Medical Daily