Can evolutionary principles help resolve the acquired immune deficiency syndrome crisis?

The population of retroviruses inside each infected host can quickly adapt its genes in response to survival threats. For this reason, therapeutics attempting to eliminate or inhibit the human immunodeficiency virus have been unsuccessful. However, it may be possible to apply evolutionary principles...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Medical hypotheses 1996-02, Vol.46 (2), p.130-134
Main Author: Powell, P.D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - etiology
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - immunology
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - virology
AIDS/HIV
Biological and medical sciences
Biological Evolution
Ecosystem
Genes, Viral
HIV - genetics
HIV - immunology
Human viral diseases
Humans
Immune System - physiopathology
Infectious diseases
Medical sciences
Models, Biological
Viral diseases
Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids
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Summary:The population of retroviruses inside each infected host can quickly adapt its genes in response to survival threats. For this reason, therapeutics attempting to eliminate or inhibit the human immunodeficiency virus have been unsuccessful. However, it may be possible to apply evolutionary principles to the problem of human immunodeficiency virus infection/acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The rapid evolution capabilities of this pathogen might assist researchers in evolving human immunodeficiency virus toward the goal of virus-host coexistence. In this relationship, infecting viruses do not harm their host. Two different examples illustrate the theoretical application of evolutionary principles to this problem. First, by viewing the virus as a new gene of the immune system, it is possible to evolve this gene toward the goal of improving immune function. Second, the retroviral population of each host is maladapted for long-term survival. Retroviral genes could be evolved with respect to continued existence in the host.
ISSN:0306-9877
1532-2777
DOI:10.1016/S0306-9877(96)90012-2