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To: Spktyr

The virus is rather labile, not near as robust as HBV. Difficult to say how easily transformed into a more virulent agent. My guess is not very likely.


34 posted on 02/11/2005 2:07:47 PM PST by March I up
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To: March I up

The HIV virus is enveloped which means that when it buds from your cells after replication, it takes with it some of your cell membrane (lipids, proteins). Therefore, transmission has to be through fluids because the envelope must be wet. Detergents, which disrupt lipids are sufficient to render the virus inactive.

However, the HIV DNA is replicated with an enzyme called reverse transcriptase (hence, RT inhibitors as drug treatments). The enzyme has no "spell checking" function like that which replicates our DNA so copying virus DNA is more error prone and therefore leads to frequent mutations. This is the reason that it is so drug resistant since DNA mutations will render it so.

It is possible that mutations could make it more efficient since all it would take would be a few mutations in the right genes.

This is a first documentation of such but I am not surprised that it has happened since it is theoretically possible.


67 posted on 02/11/2005 3:26:40 PM PST by hansel
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