A variant of HIV, more virulent and with a higher risk of transmission, has been circulating in recent decades in the Netherlands, although after starting treatment those affected have a survival similar to that of other patients, according to a study published by Science.
The research, led by the University of Oxford, UK, indicates that the now-described VB (virulent subtype B) emerged in the 1990s in the Netherlands, spread faster than other variants during the 2000s, and has declined since about 2010. .
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Before treatment with antiretrovirals, those infected with BV showed significant differences with those infected with other variants, such as a viral load (level of virus in the blood) of 3.5 and 5.5 times higher and a higher risk of transmission.
One of the clearest markers of the damage suffered by the immune system due to HIV is the rate of decrease in CD4 white blood cells, which with this variant decrease twice as fast, so those infected are at risk of developing AIDS more quickly. .
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However, once they started antiretroviral treatment, individuals with the BV variant had “similar immune system recovery and survival” to those infected with other strains of HIV, the study notes.
The researchers stress that since the VB variant causes a more rapid decline in the strength of the immune system, this makes it “critical” that individuals are diagnosed early and begin treatment as soon as possible.
The HIV-1 virus affects 38 million people in the world and has caused 33 million deaths to date.
The VB variant is characterized by many mutations spread throughout the genome, meaning that no single genetic cause can be identified at this stage, according to the study.
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The lead author of the research Christophe Fraser, of the University of Oxford, stressed that these results highlight the importance of the World Health Organization’s guidelines so that people at risk of contracting HIV “have access to regular tests that allow an early diagnosis, followed by an immediate treatment”.
This limits the time that HIV “can damage an individual’s immune system and endanger their health. It also ensures that HIV is suppressed as soon as possible, which prevents transmission to other people.”
Fraser and the other lead author of the study, Chris Wymant, also from the University of Oxford, considered that “the public should not worry,” they told Efe by email.
The finding of this variant “underlines the importance of the guidelines that were already in force”: that people at risk of contracting HIV have access to regular tests for early diagnosis, followed by immediate treatment, they added.
Finding a new variant “is normal”, but one with “unusual properties”, especially greater virulence, is not, those responsible stressed. VB is an example of something that, “fortunately, seems to be rare”, that viruses or bacteria evolve into a form more detrimental to our health.
VB was first identified in seventeen seropositives from the BEEHIVE project, an ongoing study collecting samples from Europe and Uganda, fifteen of whom were from the Netherlands.
The researchers analyzed data from a cohort of more than 6,700 HIV-positive people in that country and identified a further 92 people, bringing the total to 109, with one case also found in Switzerland and Belgium.
The study indicates that most of those infected with BV, 82%, were men who have sex with men, a similar proportion to those infected with another variant, and the age at diagnosis was also similar.
The team believes that the VB variant arose despite widespread treatment in the Netherlands, not because of it, as effective treatment can suppress transmission.
Although the findings show that the HIV lineage probably arose “de novo” around the turn of the millennium, extensive changes in its genome make it difficult to discern the mechanisms underlying its heightened virulence. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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