Estimated worldwide HIV infections: 52 225 331 at 9.04am on Wednesday May 28 2003.
Researchers in Vancouver, Canada, have identified two separate cases where antiretroviral-resistant HIV was transmitted up to three years after the virus developed its resistance.
These drug-resistant viruses were unusual in that they retained the ability to destroy CD4 cells and did not revert to wild-type drug-sensitive HIV, which usually happens when the virus is not under pressure from anti-retrovirals.Both patients infected with the mutated virus did not respond well to treatment and the disease therefore progressed more rapidly than usual.
The researchers say that the drug-resistant virus can persist for much longer than scientists had previously thought, leading to further complications in treatment and a less positive prognosis whose HIV has developed a resistance to anti-retroviral treatment.
This ”suggests that resistance testing should be considered before treatment in the chronically infected and treatment-naive patient”, the researchers said.
Source: aidsmap.com