Winning the HIV hide-and-seek game.Scientists may have found a way to eradicate HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. from a specific type of immune cell, one of HIV's most stubborn hiding places, researchers announced at November's Infectious Diseases Society of America The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) is a medical association representing physicians, scientists and other health care professionals who specialize in infectious diseases. meeting in Denver. The treatment, which has worked in only a few patients, is theoretically the next step for those in whom, through antiviral drugs Antiviral Drugs Definition Antiviral drugs are medicines that cure or control virus infections. Purpose Antivirals are used to treat infections caused by viruses. , the virus has been reduced to nearly undetectable levels in other areas of the body. But Anthony Fauci, MD, and other researchers say it will take years of follow-up studies to determine if the treatment works. Toxic side effects and the ability of the virus to develop a resistance to the therapy could still derail de·rail intr. & tr.v. de·railed, de·rail·ing, de·rails 1. To run or cause to run off the rails. 2. the process, which targets CD4 cells that function as the immune system's memory. "It's conceivable that we'll take these people off their drugs and the virus will come roaring back from a reservoir we didn't find," Fauci told USA Today. |
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