What is the natural course of HIV infection?

The natural course of untreated HIV infection varies widely with some HIV-positive individuals able to maintain high CD4 cell counts and/or suppressed viral load in the absence of ART. Although similar, the underlying mechanistic processes leading to long-term nonprogression and viral control are likely to differ.

Does HIV-1 have vpx?

Vpx is an accessory gene that is absent in HIV-1, but present in several SIV strains as well as HIV-2, which allows efficient infection of myeloid cells and resting CD4+ T-cells [7,8,9].

How did HIV start in the first place?

HIV infection in humans came from a type of chimpanzee in Central Africa. The chimpanzee version of the virus (called simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV) was probably passed to humans when humans hunted these chimpanzees for meat and came in contact with their infected blood.

When was simian immunodeficiency virus Discovered?

SIV was isolated in 1985 from some of these animals, captive rhesus macaques suffering from simian AIDS (SAIDS). The discovery of SIV was made shortly after HIV-1 had been isolated as the cause of AIDS and led to the discovery of HIV-2 strains in West Africa.

When was SIV created?

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) was first isolated in 1984 from captive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) at the New England Primate Research Center (NEPRC).

What is meant by natural history of disease?

Natural history of disease refers to the progression of a disease process in an individual over time, in the absence of treatment. For example, untreated infection with HIV causes a spectrum of clinical problems beginning at the time of seroconversion (primary HIV) and terminating with AIDS and usually death.

What is acute retroviral?

Acute retroviral syndrome (ARS) is the first stage of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Symptoms of acute retroviral syndrome are similar to the flu (such as headache, nausea, diarrhea, and body aches) and disappear on their own within weeks.

How common is SIV in monkeys?

Publisher Summary. Simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs) are a large group of lentiviruses that naturally infect more than 40 African nonhuman primate (NHP) species. SIV prevalence in the wild ranges from 2% to more than 80% in different species.

What is the importance of natural history of disease?

One of the reasons that natural history studies are so important is that they help a rare disease, such as Dravet syndrome, to be better understood. It studies the hallmarks of the disease and how they progress over time, while unfolding patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Why is it important to know the natural history of disease?

Natural History Studies can monitor how the disease progresses without intervention and follow the development of the condition through its resolution, be it some sort of remission or an individual’s death.