Recently, a research paper published in the academic journal Science said that a more virulent and more contagious variant of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was found in the Netherlands, named HIV-1 subtype virus (VB).
The study found that in the host, the viral load of this variant is 3.5 to 5.5 times that of ordinary HIV, which can enable infected people to develop AIDS at a twice the rate after diagnosis.
However, the researchers note that the new mutant strain has been lurking in the Netherlands for decades, and the discovery is not "not a public health crisis" and there is no need to panic. Antiretroviral therapy (ART), commonly known as "cocktail therapy", which is currently used to treat HIV, is also still effective against VB variants.
VB mutant strain: more virulent and more contagious
The study was based on data from the "Epidemiology and Evolution of Connective HIV in Europe" (BEEHIVE) project, which primarily tracked HIV samples from Europe and Uganda.
Scientists at the University of Oxford's Big Data Institute and Dutch researchers have jointly found that 17 HIV patients are infected with a new and unknown strain of HIV, 15 of whom are from the Netherlands.
Such a high-density distribution caught the attention of the research team. Next, the researchers expanded the scope of the study, analyzed data from 6700 local HIV-infected people in the Netherlands, and found 92 new mutant strains of infection.
As a result, the number of infected people with the new mutant strain based on the research findings rose to 109. This new HIV variant strain is named "VB Mutant Strain".
Studies have shown that individuals infected with the "VB strain" show significant differences compared to individuals infected with other HIV strains: in the host, the viral load is 3.5 to 5.5 times that of ordinary HIV; in individuals carrying the VB variant, the rate of decline of CD4 T cells (a marker of HIV damage to the immune system) is 2 times that of ordinary HIV infection; and individuals carrying the VB variant also have an increased risk of transmitting the virus to others.
Viral load, immune cell number, and survival rate of VB mutant strains and other HIV strains.
In addition, the team found that the VB mutation strain had an alarming number of mutations in its genome compared to other HIV-1B' subtypes, with significant changes in its genome affecting nearly 300 amino acids.
At present, there are still a large number of unsolved mysteries around the origin, virulence and infectivity of this strain.
It has been lurking in the Netherlands for decades, but it is difficult to pose a large-scale threat
While the new mutant strain was more toxic and more contagious, the researchers found that the vast majority of patients infected with the variant were gay men (82 percent) and that the majority were born in Western Europe (86 percent).
When patients start receiving ART therapy, the immune system recovery and survival rates in the body are similar to those of other HIV variants.
In addition, based on genetic differences in HIV in different infected people, the researchers estimate that VB mutant strains have been present as early as the 1980s and 1990s. At the beginning of this century, its rate of propagation was already faster than that of other mutant strains; but after 2010, the rate of transmission slowed significantly.
Phylogenetic and phylogenetic analysis of VB variant strains
With a limited number of infected people, a slowdown in transmission, and a good effect of ART treatment, some analysts believe that this mutant strain is at least currently difficult to pose a large-scale threat.
Dr Chris Wymant, lead author of the study and a senior researcher at the University of Oxford's Institute for Big Data, said in an interview with Agence France-Presse that the strain had been lurking in the Netherlands for decades and there was no need to panic.
"The observation of more virulent and contagious mutant strains does not mean that this is a public health crisis." Joel Wertheim, an associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego, wrote in an opinion piece: "Let's not forget the overreaction to the 'super AIDS' claim in 2005, when warning of a rapidly advancing, multi-drug-resistant HIV infection discovered in New York turned out to be an isolated case." ”
However, the researchers also stress that the immune system declines more rapidly due to the VB variant, which makes early diagnosis and early treatment crucial.
Warning about the trend of coronavirus mutation: The potential for evolution should not be underestimated
The researchers hope that this finding will help to further understand the mutation trend of the new crown virus, such as whether widely adopted treatments will upset the balance between "infectious" and "toxic", leading to the emergence and spread of other toxic variants.
It is widely believed that the currently circulating Omiljung variant is highly contagious, but the fatality and severe disease rates have decreased, which is a sign that the coronavirus is tending to mild.
But Chris Wymant notes that the discovery of the VB variant "is a warning" that "we should not underestimate the potential of viruses to evolve, nor should we be overconfident that viruses will only move in a more benign and less toxic direction."
He explains, "Prior to this study, we already knew that the genetic properties of HIV were associated with its virulence, suggesting that the evolution of new mutant strains would have different effects on human health." The discovery of the VB mutant strain proves this and provides a rare case for the risk posed by the evolution of viral virulence. ”
According to Reuters, South African scientists have found that a synchronized study of the new crown virus and HIV has found a growing body of evidence that the collision of the two epidemics may produce new coronavirus variants.
The scientific team at the South African Genome Surveillance Network (NGS-SA) has published research showing that untreated AIDS patients and other people with weakened immune systems may be infected with COVID-19 on a persistent basis, often for several months.
During this time, the new crown virus will remain in their bodies and continue to accumulate mutations, and the possibility of a more transmissible and deadlier variant of the new crown when combined with HIV cannot be ruled out.
Tongai Maponga, a researcher at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, believes that this may be the next step in the development direction of the Omiljung variant virus, "At present, only from the results of random monitoring, it has been found that a small number of patients have a combination of highly suspected Omilon and HIV." ”
Previously, a 22-year-old South African woman infected with HIV but untreated was detected to have 21 new coronavirus mutations in her body nine months after contracting the new crown virus.
Saoirse Fitzpatrick, communications manager at StopAids, noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has "severely" affected HIV testing globally, but addressing these two public health challenges is key and that "ignoring HIV treatment is not an adequate public health approach." ”
Currently, South Africa has a population of over 59 million. According to the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), 7.5 million people in South Africa were infected with HIV in 2019. Among them, the infection rate in the age group of 15 to 49 years old is 19%.