Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Rich Condit Vincent, Dickson, and Rich discuss multipotent progenitor bone marrow cells as a reservoir of HIV-1, integration of HHV-6 into telomeres, and dispersal of West Nile virus across the US by mosquitoes. This episode is sponsored by Data Robotics Inc. Use the promotion code VINCENT to receive $50 …
Xenotropic murine leukemia virus related virus (XMRV) has been implicated in prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Because XMRV is a retrovirus, it has been suggested that it might be susceptible to some of the many drugs available for treatment of AIDS. Of ten licensed compounds evaluated for activity against XMRV, just one, AZT …
The finding that a retrovirus, XMRV, is associated with chronic fatigue syndrome has lead to the suggestion that the disease might be treated with some of the antiviral drugs used to treat AIDS. The integrase inhibitor Raltegravir has been found to block the replication of murine leukemia virus, which is highly related to XMRV. But …
Raltegravir inhibits murine leukemia virus: implications for chronic fatigue syndrome? Read More »
In contrast to acute viral infections, persistent infections last for long periods, and occur when the primary infection is not cleared by the adaptive immune response. Varicella-zoster virus, measles virus, HIV-1, and human cytomegalovirus are examples of viruses that cause typical persistent infections. A chronic infection is a type of persistent infection that is eventually …
The treatment of AIDS patients with a combination of three or four antiviral drugs is known as HAART, or highly active antiretroviral therapy. Combination therapy has been effective for long-term control of infection, and represents one of the high points in AIDS research. The downside of HAART is that strict adherence to daily therapy must …
The entry of HIV-1 into lymphocytes requires two cellular proteins, the receptor CD4, and a co-receptor, either CXCR4 or CCR5. Individuals who carry a mutation in the gene encoding CCR5, called delta 32, are resistant to HIV-1 infection. This observation was the basis for giving an AIDS patient a bone marrow transplant from a donor …
