thesis
Human immunodeficiency virus type 2: pathogenesis and antiretroviral therapy
- Publication date
- 26 April 2000
- Publisher
- Human immunodeficiency virus type1 (HIV-1), human immunodeficiency
virus type 2 (HIV-2), and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) have been
identified as hither unknown primate members of the Lentivirinae subfamily
of the family Retroviridae in 1983, 1986 and 1985 respectively, HIV-1 and
HIV-2 were identified as the causative agents of the newly emerging
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) of humans (1-3) and SIV was
shown to cause AIDS in certain primate species, HIV-1 is clearly an
emerging virus, which is expected to have infected between 30 and 40
million people by the year 2000, Although lentiviruses of different animal
species share many biological features, the natural course of the disease
they cause in their respective host species varies considerably, Table 1
summarises the currently known lentiviruses and their pathogenic
characteristics in different host species, Elucidation of the differences in the
pathogenesis of infection with different lentiviruses as well as the
underlying mechanisms, may be expected to lead to a better understanding
of the course of the natural infection with any of these viruses and will
provide new tools for the development of intervention strategies, Most
notably, the understanding of the marked differences between the natural
diseases caused by the respective primate lentiviruses HIV-1, HIV-2 and
SIV, may lead to the identification of new therapeutic and preventive
measures for AIDS in humans, which in the light of the current pandemic
spreading of this disease are more needed than ever.