In less than three years after infection, the virus kills 60 percent. kids. 10 percent he is lucky – he becomes a carrier and will not get AIDS. The immune system works in them similarly to … monkeys. The problem of HIV also affects Polish children. They most often contract this virus during childbirth in a hospital.
In humans, if left untreated, HIV infection destroys the cells of the immune system, making the body susceptible to other infections – developing AIDS. Research has shown that the immune system of animals is not destroyed because it is “calm” – it ignores the virus.
The researchers analyzed blood samples taken from 170 South African children. They were infected with HIV and had never taken antiretroviral drugs. Tens of thousands of HIV viruses were detected in every milliliter of their blood – and yet these children did not develop AIDS.
Polish children catch HIV
A very small group of adults (0,3%) also do not suffer from AIDS despite the presence of HIV, but in their case there are much less viruses in their blood.
Such a large number of viruses would normally lead to over-activity of the immune system trying to fight the infection. However, the children’s immune system seemed to ignore the virus. Contrary to appearances, abandoning the attack seems to be an effective defense strategy. Overactivity of the immune system can cause an inflammatory process that is destructive to it.
The way in which 10 percent. children coping with HIV, scientists found it very similar to the behavior of the immune system of more than 40 species of monkeys infected with the monkey virus SIV.
Is it possible to get HIV at a hairdresser and in a beauty salon?
Unfortunately, the protection against AIDS from being unresponsive is almost exclusively confined to children. The immune system of adults, much more aggressive, starts to act vigorously, almost always failing (a bit similar in the case of chickenpox, which is much more difficult for adults due to the sharp reaction of the immune system).
This difference means that as the immune system matures in children previously protected against AIDS, the syndrome may develop. And it is actually developing – although not for everyone.
According to the BBC, Prof. Philip Goulder of the University of Oxford, one of the conclusions from the research is that it is not the virus itself that needs more importance than the immune response. According to other experts, the study may have revealed the earliest signs of HIV co-evolution * in humans (the virus has an interest in infecting more people, not killing its carriers).
People infected with HIV can have a life expectancy similar to that of healthy people – as long as they have access to antiviral drugs. However, their overstimulated nervous system never returns to normal – they are more likely to develop heart disease, cancer and dementia.
Prof. Goulder believes that understanding the mechanisms involved in children who remain unhealthy despite the presence of the virus could help restore balance to the immune system in all HIV-infected children.
The journal Science Translational Medicine informed about the unusual discovery.
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*Coevolution is Coevolution, the interdependent evolution of two or more species, over time adapting to each other.