Response of Ethiopian Hiv -1 to Azidothymidine Dideoxyinos Ine and Interferon-Alpha
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Date
1993-09
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the aeti%gic agent of Acquired
Inullllllodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is known to manifest high degree of genetic variability.
Based on the genomic structure two types of HIV, HIV-l and HIV-2 are known to date. The
presence of a distinct strain of HIV-l in Ethiopia has been reported. Differences in the pattern
of viraemia and immunologic reactions from the one documented in European and North
American patients has been observed in Ethiopians infected with this virus. Treatment with
azidothymidine (AIT) has been shown to result in decreased serum levels of P2-microglobulin
(PrM), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a) and neopterin in the European and North
American HIV-l patients. Whether there are differences in sensitivity to antiviral compounds,
such as AZf, dideoxyinosine (ddl) or interferon alpha (IFN-(J.) in Ethiopian HIV-l strains and
the effect of treatment on the immunological reactions were not known. The in vitro sensitivity
of 8 Ethiopian strains to antiviral compounds was investigated in parallel with 8 Swedish
strains all from untreated AIDS patients. The antiviral effects were measured by p24 antigen
capture EUSA and Reverse transcriptase activity assay. A pilot controlled study of 200mg and
600mg oral AZT was conducted in 53 HIV-l infected Ethiopians. The treatment effects were
evaluated by assessment of the clinical status of the patients and the measurement of serum
levels of PrM, TNF-(J. and neopterin. No statistically significant difference in drug sensitivity
was found between the Ethiopian and The Swedish strains to All, ddl and IEN-(J. in vitro. In
the majority of the treated patients improvement in their clinical conditions was reported and
a gain in body weight was observed. A statistically significant decrease in the levels of PrM,
TNF-(J. and neopterin were found in the treated patients in contrast to the control patients.
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Biology