A man from Germany, has become at least the third person to have been cured of HIV with the virus not being detectable in his body even 4 years after stopping the medicine.
What is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)?
Type - HIV is a lentivirus, which is a sub-classification of the retrovirus.
AIDS - It causes the HIV infection which over time leads to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
AIDS is a deadly condition in which the affected person’s immune system fails, leading to the spread of life-threatening infections and cancers in his body.
HIV demolishes a particular type of WBC (White Blood Cells) and the T-helper cells.
Transmission - HIV infection can occur by the transference of blood, breast milk, vaginal fluid, semen, or pre-ejaculate.
What is CCR5 mutation?
HIV mainly attacks the CD4 immune cells in the human body.
The CCR5 receptors on the surface of the CD4 immune cells act as a doorwayfor HIV virus.
However, the CCR5-delta 32 mutation prevents these receptors used by the HIV virus from forming on the surface, effectively removing the doorway.
Those with the mutation are almost immune to the HIV infection, although some cases have been reported.
What are the challenges in transplanting these receptors in HIV Patients?
Heavy load of HIV Patients - Mutation exist in very few people and nearly 38.4 million people living with HIV across the world.
It is very difficult to find a matching donor.
Restricted donor pool - The mutation occurs mainly among Caucasians, and restricted the donor pool further.
High risk - Bone marrow Transplant involves high risks, especially that of the person rejecting the donated marrow.
There is also the likelihood of the virus mutating to enter the cells through other mechanisms in such persons.
What are the current treatments for HIV?
Although there are no cures for the infection at present, the disease can be managed using antiretroviral therapy.
Anti-Retroviral Therapy - These medicines suppress the replication of the virus within the body, allowing the number of CD4 immune cells to bounce back.
The drugs have to be taken for life because the virus continues to persist in reservoirs across the body.
If the drugs are stopped, the virus can again start replicating and spreading.
When the viral levels are low, the likelihood of a person transmitting the infection is also low.
PrEP - Although there is no vaccine for HIV, there are Pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) medicines that can be taken by people at high risk of contracting the infection.
PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99%.
