An article in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infectionssuggests that smokers may be unwittingly modifying their immune systems, making them more vulnerable to infection by the HIV virus. Past studies have found that cigarette smoking is linked to a higher than normal chance of contracting other infections generally, including those that have been sexually transmitted. The […]
Gut-associated lymphoid tissue accounts for 70 percent of the body’s immune system and should be a priority target for HIV treatments, claim University of California (UC) researchers. The researchers found that HIV hidden in gut mucosa suppresses the immune system and continues to replicate, despite standard tests indicating otherwise. The study, published in the Journal […]
The high virulence of HIV-1 might be due to an accident of evolution, say researchers writing in the journal Cell. They believe gene function lost during the course of viral evolution predisposed HIV-1 to spur the fatal immune system failures that are the hallmarks of AIDS. HIV is unusually lethal when compared to similar viruses. […]
Scientists in the UK say they have cracked one of the key biological processes used by viruses such as HIV and SARS when they replicate. Their paper, published in Nature, documents the role of particular elements during virus-induced “frameshifting”. When viruses invade our body, they interfere with the host cell processes that our bodies use […]
Researchers from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center believe a small tropical frog could be a potent weapon in the war against HIV. Their report, in the Journal of Virology, indicates that compounds secreted by frog skin are potent blockers of HIV infection. “Amphibian skin has long been favored in folklore for its medicinal properties,” said […]
Bacteria that appear to target and trap HIV may protect humans against infection, say researchers studying lactobacillus. Their findings were reported at the 2005 American Society for Microbiology – Beneficial Microbes Conference. “I believe every life form has its natural enemy, and HIV should not be the exception,” says researcher Lin Tao, of the University […]
