It has been known for some time now that a small number of people are resistant to infection by the AIDS virus. Even after multiple exposures to the AIDS virus, they have no measurable amount of virus in their bodies. Taking some of these people's white blood cells and placing the AIDS virus on those cells in a test tube doesn't even result in infection of their white blood cells.Why these people are resistant has been somewhat of a mystery. About a year ago, researchers were able to determine why some of these resistant people don't get AIDS.
Knowing how the AIDS virus infects cells has helped researchers to solve at least part of this mystery. Two different proteins on the human cell are needed by the AIDS virus to infect a cell, a protein called CD-4 and a chemokine receptor protein (CCR-5, CCR-8, or CXCR-4(fusin)). People that are resistant to infection by the AIDS virus have a mutated chemokine receptor protein (CCR-5) that lacks a portion of the protein needed by the virus to bind to the cell. Another group of researchers have found that a single change in the CCR-5 protein can result in a person being resistant to infection by the AIDS virus (HIV-1 virus). This particular population of people do not produce CCR-5 and as a result are resistant to infection.
These studies have shed new light on this very deadly infection. Future studies of these receptors for the AIDS virus may result in better treatments. One more mystery uncovered, one more new hope awakened.
Take Care and Think Microbiologically!
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