Researchers alert on growing HIV super-infection, drug resistance in Africa

Scientists have raised alarm on growing Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency (AIDS) super-infection, when a person with HIV could acquire a second, new strain of HIV. A new Ugandan study, published online in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, suggests that HIV super-infection may occur as often as initial HIV infection in the general population. Since researchers demonstrated more than a decade ago that a person infected with HIV could subsequently acquire a second, new strain of HIV, there has been little agreement in the scientific community as to how often HIV super-infection occurs. Previous studies have found HIV super-infection to be relatively frequent among individuals, who engaged in high-risk behaviours, but the rate of super-infection in general populations remained unclear. Also, in a critical step that may lead to more effective HIV treatments, Harvard scientists have found pre-existing mutations in a small number of HIV patients. These mutations can cause the virus to...