The Associated Press in France reports that scientists at the University of Washington have discovered that [acyclovir], a drug used to treat genital herpes, slows the progression of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. This was incidentally found among individuals who are infected with both HIV and herpes simplex virus. A previous study demonstrated that acyclovir decreased levels of HIV in the blood in the laboratory. This was the basis for the current study, which involved over 3,000 volunteers in East Africa from 14 study sites.
Half of the individuals took acyclovir twice daily and the other half took a placebo for 2 years. At the end of the study, their [CD4 cell] count, a cell involved in immunity and the target of HIV, was measured with a simple blood test. The cut-off to determine whether or not acyclovir protected the CD4 level was 200/µL. This was chosen as the measurement because an HIV-infected individual with a CD4 count below 200/µL is considered to have AIDS. Two hundred and eighty four individuals in the acyclovir group had a CD4 count below 200/µL, while 324 who took the placebo had a CD4 count below 200/µL.
Scientists also looked at individuals who had better immune system and discovered that of those who had better immune system, the individuals who took acyclovir had a 19% decrease in the chance that their CD4 counts would fall below 350/ µL.
Viruses cannot live outside their host very long. Once they infect the cells, they use that cell’s machinery to replicate. Most viruses like adenovirus, the virus that causes the common cold and influenza virus, are short lived. But people infected with HIV or herpes simplex virus are infected for life. While there are anti-viral medications out these viruses, they cannot completely eliminate them. The drugs available only reduce the amount of virus in the blood and prevent outbreaks.
Because of the results of this study, acyclovir may become part of the therapeutic regimen of drugs used to treat HIV-infected individuals. And knowing the [mechanism of acyclovir] in the management of herpes simplex virus will help scientist in understanding how HIV infects that cell, and could also lead to the development of drugs that more specifically target HIV through the same mechanism. [AFP]
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