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New virulent variant threatens the world and it is not from the coronavirus
A new variant of a virus has been detected in the midst of the pandemic. Paradoxically, it is not a different strain of coronavirus, but rather the old human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
The AIDS virus (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) now has a new face. Given this, the expert declares that it is a call for attention to public health due to its potential threat.
Where and when was this variant of HIV identified?
There is no doubt that the international effort to keep HIV at bay has paid off. There are more and more innovative treatments to reduce its viral load and even some effective vaccines are already underway.
However, the appearance of a recent variant related to said virus may overthrow all the guidelines adopted to date. In essence, it puts current research at risk, promoting an uncertain outlook for humanity.
In early January, Big Data researchers from the University of Oxford recognized the veracity of the issue. After a relevant study and analysis, the staging of a variation of the virus in the Netherlands was concluded.
The research results were quickly published in the popular journal Science. In it, it is detailed that its virulence or transmission is up to 5% higher than that of its original. A percentage that translates into a viral load above what is known.
What are its preliminary health consequences?
A higher viral load and a higher rate of contagion or transmission is synonymous with weakening treatments. The preliminary look suggests that the doses will have to be adjusted or more drastic measures will have to be taken.
The pandemic is the best example in which the consequences of variants of a virus are evident. Now, in the field of HIV, the horizon, at the moment, is not clear.
Conventional HIV (HIV-1) is currently responsible for more than 35 million cases worldwide. On the other hand, throughout its extension, it has caused a whopping 33 million deaths.
It is characterized by its predilection for the immune cells of the body, mainly attacking them. Over time, the individual is deprived of his defense system against infections by microorganisms. Thus, he or she will seriously suffer the consequences of some underlying disease.
The study released by the journal Science that the VB variant has a more aggressive behavior. In addition to its doubling in the level of viral load, its ability to quickly destroy the cells of the immune system was confirmed.
Such cells (named TCD4+) grazed lower strata in much shorter time than HIV-1. Therefore, it ultimately symbolizes a high probability of suffering from AIDS more reluctantly.
The future is uncertain, but not "so" complicated
Despite the draconian data supported by the journal Science, the future is not so complicated. The same research clarifies that, with early diagnosis of the disease, the patient's prognosis is not complex.
At the same time, it is essential to adjust the dose of the treatment of choice to combat the advance of the new strain. In this way, the decline of the immune system will not go into a direct tailspin as already detailed.
In other favorable conclusions, the experts clarify that the survival rate is equal to the one of conventional HIV. Of course, the risk of suffering from AIDS increases slightly, but it is a variation to take into consideration.
At the same time, the Big Data Institute calls on the population to abide by the guidelines of the World Health Organization. As an additive, it urges the same health agency to guarantee periodic diagnostic tests for cases of risk and thus opportunely fence the virus.
Although it may not seem like it, the appearance of BV (acronym for subtype B of HIV) opens the doors to innovation in treatments. In order to delve deeper into the genome of the virus, other crucial aspects will eventually be discovered for the development of efficient medicine against it.
The scientific and medical community is optimistic
Other major players in the scientific and medical field claim that there is room for optimism. They emphasize that HIV, by itself, has an enormous potential for mutation studied over time.
Although each mutation or replication causes a headache for specialists, the truth is that it does not differ in its biological signature. The only flaw, so to speak, is that it becomes more aggressive or gradually resistant to treatment.
But for it to symbolize a real danger, it needs to meet three essential characteristics: virulence, transmissibility and resistance. In this respect, the VB variant only stands out in two of them, being, by default, vulnerable to good therapy and early diagnosis.
Has it always been with us?
Interestingly, the expertise also assumes that the variant of HIV in question is more long-lived than previously thought. Starting from the 109 "seropositive" patients isolated in the Netherlands, a genetic screening of the infection was carried out.
After an exhaustive procedure, it is estimated that the genetic signature of the virus could have been born between 1980 and 1990 in that nation. However, it has been preserved latent or with a decrease in its spread since 2010.
A point in favor for the treatments adopted against HIV infection. However, it is essential not to lower our guard, since everything seems to indicate that it is returning to its peak. Above all, because in the Dutch territory the management of health policies against the virus is not adequate.
Indeed, it is capable of going unnoticed or taken as HIV-1 given the similarity of its clinical picture. Because of the winds that blow, the only difference between one strain and another is its transmitting power. A particularity that VB has developed and exploited to its maximum limit.
