New strain of HIV virus

[Steff]

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/02/11/news/HIV.html

 

Doctors discover new HIV strain

By Marc Santora and Lawrence K. Altman The New York Times Saturday, February 12, 2005

Virus is resistant to nearly all drugs

 

A previously unknown strain of HIV that is highly resistant to virtually all known drugs and appears to lead to the rapid onset of AIDS was detected in a man last week, New York health officials said Friday.

.

While the extent of the spread of the disease is unknown, officials said the situation was alarming.

.

"We consider this a major potential problem," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The department issued an alert to all hospitals and doctors in the city to be on the lookout for the new strain.

.

The virus was found in a New York City man in his mid-40s who engaged in unprotected anal sex with other men on multiple occasions while he was using crystal methamphetamine.

.

While HIV strains that are resistant to some drug treatments have been on the rise in recent years throughout the United States, city officials said this case was unique and worrisome for several reasons.

.

First, they said, the strain of the disease was resistant to three of the four classes of drugs used to treat HIV from the moment the patient got sick. Typically, drug resistance comes after a patient is treated with retroviral drugs, often because they go off the prescribed course. And, more often than not, a person is only resistant to one or two classes of drugs.

.

But the resistance comes in combination with its rapid transformation into AIDS. Each of those things has been seen before, but never together.

.

In this case, the patient developed AIDS from 2 to 10 months after being infected. Usually, it takes 10 years for the average person infected with HIV to develop AIDS.

.

At a news conference at New York's health department, where Frieden was joined by nearly a dozen doctors and community leaders, several people recalled having that same worried feeling they had more than two decades ago, when AIDS first started appearing.

.

The city has been in close contact with the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

.

More tests need to be completed before it is clear if any combination of drugs can work on this strain of the virus. But given what they know now, Frieden said treatment would be extremely difficult.

.

From the moment the health department learned about this case a week ago, they have been studying complex laboratory tests to figure out what exactly they had on their hands as well as trying to figure out the man's sexual history.

.

Health officials would not go into detail about how many people the man may have had sex with, but they have several investigators trying to track down partners. The man took an HIV test in May 2003 and was negative, health officials said. Investigators believe he contracted HIV in October of 2004, when he engaged in unprotected anal sex with multiple partners while using crystal methamphetamine. The man found some of his partners on the Internet, officials said.

.

Frieden said that the most likely scenario was that the man had sex with someone who had AIDS and had already developed a resistance to drugs. "Whoever gave it to him most likely did not have sex only with him," Frieden said.

.

.

See more of the world that matters - click here for home delivery of the International Herald Tribune.

.

 

A previously unknown strain of HIV that is highly resistant to virtually all known drugs and appears to lead to the rapid onset of AIDS was detected in a man last week, New York health officials said Friday.

.

While the extent of the spread of the disease is unknown, officials said the situation was alarming.

.

"We consider this a major potential problem," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The department issued an alert to all hospitals and doctors in the city to be on the lookout for the new strain.

.

The virus was found in a New York City man in his mid-40s who engaged in unprotected anal sex with other men on multiple occasions while he was using crystal methamphetamine.

.

While HIV strains that are resistant to some drug treatments have been on the rise in recent years throughout the United States, city officials said this case was unique and worrisome for several reasons.

.

First, they said, the strain of the disease was resistant to three of the four classes of drugs used to treat HIV from the moment the patient got sick. Typically, drug resistance comes after a patient is treated with retroviral drugs, often because they go off the prescribed course. And, more often than not, a person is only resistant to one or two classes of drugs.

.

But the resistance comes in combination with its rapid transformation into AIDS. Each of those things has been seen before, but never together.

.

In this case, the patient developed AIDS from 2 to 10 months after being infected. Usually, it takes 10 years for the average person infected with HIV to develop AIDS.

.

At a news conference at New York's health department, where Frieden was joined by nearly a dozen doctors and community leaders, several people recalled having that same worried feeling they had more than two decades ago, when AIDS first started appearing.

.

The city has been in close contact with the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

.

More tests need to be completed before it is clear if any combination of drugs can work on this strain of the virus. But given what they know now, Frieden said treatment would be extremely difficult.

.

From the moment the health department learned about this case a week ago, they have been studying complex laboratory tests to figure out what exactly they had on their hands as well as trying to figure out the man's sexual history.

.

Health officials would not go into detail about how many people the man may have had sex with, but they have several investigators trying to track down partners. The man took an HIV test in May 2003 and was negative, health officials said. Investigators believe he contracted HIV in October of 2004, when he engaged in unprotected anal sex with multiple partners while using crystal methamphetamine. The man found some of his partners on the Internet, officials said.

.

Frieden said that the most likely scenario was that the man had sex with someone who had AIDS and had already developed a resistance to drugs. "Whoever gave it to him most likely did not have sex only with him," Frieden said.

.

.

See more of the world that matters - click here for home delivery of the International Herald Tribune.

.

 

A previously unknown strain of HIV that is highly resistant to virtually all known drugs and appears to lead to the rapid onset of AIDS was detected in a man last week, New York health officials said Friday.

.

While the extent of the spread of the disease is unknown, officials said the situation was alarming.

.

"We consider this a major potential problem," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The department issued an alert to all hospitals and doctors in the city to be on the lookout for the new strain.

.

The virus was found in a New York City man in his mid-40s who engaged in unprotected anal sex with other men on multiple occasions while he was using crystal methamphetamine.

.

While HIV strains that are resistant to some drug treatments have been on the rise in recent years throughout the United States, city officials said this case was unique and worrisome for several reasons.

.

First, they said, the strain of the disease was resistant to three of the four classes of drugs used to treat HIV from the moment the patient got sick. Typically, drug resistance comes after a patient is treated with retroviral drugs, often because they go off the prescribed course. And, more often than not, a person is only resistant to one or two classes of drugs.

.

But the resistance comes in combination with its rapid transformation into AIDS. Each of those things has been seen before, but never together.

.

In this case, the patient developed AIDS from 2 to 10 months after being infected. Usually, it takes 10 years for the average person infected with HIV to develop AIDS.

.

At a news conference at New York's health department, where Frieden was joined by nearly a dozen doctors and community leaders, several people recalled having that same worried feeling they had more than two decades ago, when AIDS first started appearing.

.

The city has been in close contact with the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

.

More tests need to be completed before it is clear if any combination of drugs can work on this strain of the virus. But given what they know now, Frieden said treatment would be extremely difficult.

.

From the moment the health department learned about this case a week ago, they have been studying complex laboratory tests to figure out what exactly they had on their hands as well as trying to figure out the man's sexual history.

.

Health officials would not go into detail about how many people the man may have had sex with, but they have several investigators trying to track down partners. The man took an HIV test in May 2003 and was negative, health officials said. Investigators believe he contracted HIV in October of 2004, when he engaged in unprotected anal sex with multiple partners while using crystal methamphetamine. The man found some of his partners on the Internet, officials said.

.

Frieden said that the most likely scenario was that the man had sex with someone who had AIDS and had already developed a resistance to drugs. "Whoever gave it to him most likely did not have sex only with him," Frieden said.

.

.

See more of the world that matters - click here for home delivery of the International Herald Tribune.

.

 

A previously unknown strain of HIV that is highly resistant to virtually all known drugs and appears to lead to the rapid onset of AIDS was detected in a man last week, New York health officials said Friday.

.

While the extent of the spread of the disease is unknown, officials said the situation was alarming.

.

"We consider this a major potential problem," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The department issued an alert to all hospitals and doctors in the city to be on the lookout for the new strain.

.

The virus was found in a New York City man in his mid-40s who engaged in unprotected anal sex with other men on multiple occasions while he was using crystal methamphetamine.

.

While HIV strains that are resistant to some drug treatments have been on the rise in recent years throughout the United States, city officials said this case was unique and worrisome for several reasons.

.

First, they said, the strain of the disease was resistant to three of the four classes of drugs used to treat HIV from the moment the patient got sick. Typically, drug resistance comes after a patient is treated with retroviral drugs, often because they go off the prescribed course. And, more often than not, a person is only resistant to one or two classes of drugs.

.

But the resistance comes in combination with its rapid transformation into AIDS. Each of those things has been seen before, but never together.

.

In this case, the patient developed AIDS from 2 to 10 months after being infected. Usually, it takes 10 years for the average person infected with HIV to develop AIDS.

.

At a news conference at New York's health department, where Frieden was joined by nearly a dozen doctors and community leaders, several people recalled having that same worried feeling they had more than two decades ago, when AIDS first started appearing.

.

The city has been in close contact with the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

.

More tests need to be completed before it is clear if any combination of drugs can work on this strain of the virus. But given what they know now, Frieden said treatment would be extremely difficult.

.

From the moment the health department learned about this case a week ago, they have been studying complex laboratory tests to figure out what exactly they had on their hands as well as trying to figure out the man's sexual history.

.

Health officials would not go into detail about how many people the man may have had sex with, but they have several investigators trying to track down partners. The man took an HIV test in May 2003 and was negative, health officials said. Investigators believe he contracted HIV in October of 2004, when he engaged in unprotected anal sex with multiple partners while using crystal methamphetamine. The man found some of his partners on the Internet, officials said.

.

Frieden said that the most likely scenario was that the man had sex with someone who had AIDS and had already developed a resistance to drugs. "Whoever gave it to him most likely did not have sex only with him," Frieden said.

.

.

 

By the way.. supposedly the herpes virus is smaller than the pores in a condom. It passes through pretty easily. The AIDS virus is 16 times smaller than the herpes virus...

[southsider2k5]

Maybe Jim can correct me if I am wrong, but isn't this pretty common behavior for viruses? Don't they adapt to drugs fairly quickly, and mutate into something else that is resistant? I seem to remember there been a couple new strains of TB that were untreatable. I think that is also why they have started to discourage use of anti-biotics at the drop of a hat, because that also speeds up the process of viruses becoming immune.

[TheBigHurt35]

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/02/11/news/HIV.html

Doctors discover new HIV strain 

 

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Maybe Jim can correct me if I am wrong, but isn't this pretty common behavior for viruses?  Don't they adapt to drugs fairly quickly, and mutate into something else that is resistant?  I seem to remember there been a couple new strains of TB that were untreatable.  I think that is also why they have started to discourage use of anti-biotics at the drop of a hat, because that also speeds up the process of viruses becoming immune.

 

You are 100% correct.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Maybe Jim can correct me if I am wrong, but isn't this pretty common behavior for viruses?  Don't they adapt to drugs fairly quickly, and mutate into something else that is resistant?  I seem to remember there been a couple new strains of TB that were untreatable.  I think that is also why they have started to discourage use of anti-biotics at the drop of a hat, because that also speeds up the process of viruses becoming immune.

 

I have to run and give a lecture and only read the first couple paragraphs of the article, but I'd say it's bad news.

 

And you are mostly correct in your above assessment, other than needing to keep in mind that viral and bacterial pathogens are very different entities. antibiotics treat only bacterial pathogens not viral ones, so they will not select for drug resistance in HIV. Other drugs will, however, and so the heart of your statements are essentially correct. With something like TB, antibiotics can speed up artificial selection for resistant strains because the pathogen is a bacterium (Mycobacterium tuberculosis).

 

You're also quite correct in saying that mutation and adaptation are the norm in many viral pathogens. It's downright scary when you look at it. Something like your garden variety flu virus has four different active sites that where our vaccines latch on and have an effect. The new vaccines developed every year are basically made to be up to date (actually, already 1 year out of date) as far as their ability to effectively interactive with the virus at those sites. Most epidemiologists agree that if any two of those sites mutated into something our drugs couldn't get a handle on, we would see a worldwide flu epidemic with a major fatality component.

 

Like I said, it's a scary but very possible proposition.

[JUGGERNAUT]

Am I the only person who seems fixated on the introduction of

"crystal methamphetamine" to AIDS carriers?

 

It's bad enough we still have many people out there who don't finish their prescribed dosage of anti-biotics. When you don't finish the dosage (even if you feel good) you risk the possibility of the bug building up a tolerance to the ab & then being passed on to someone else via you.

 

But use of illicit drugs with these viruses throws a complete unknown into the equation. How do they do clinical research on this? Dope up an AIDS stricken lab rat with crystal meth? Crytsal meth doesn't affect rats the same as humans. If this new strain was someone influenced by c-m then what's do say other illicit drugs like heroine can have similar effects?

 

As I see it we have two choices: learn to live with these problems or institute state mandated drug & bug testing. As part of the license, insurances, & registration renewal process to continue to drive a car you would have to submit to a drug test.

 

I don't think the damage resulting from the problems is at a level to where

we need to do that yet. But it's certainly around the corner if things get worse. I believe even with out bug scares we're moving toward a GATTACA nation anyways. This will just speed that up.