THE HIV VIRUS IS ABSOLUTELY LETHAL BUT THERE EXISTS PEOPLE WHO ARE RESISTANT TO IT

A

INTRODUCTION

The HIV epidemic is quite prevalent and has been a cause for concern since the 70’s but there are however humans who cannot be killed by this virus even if they contract it and it just makes you look at how unfair life is. Stephen Crohn was the first person tested and shown to be fully resistant to the HIV virus in 1994 and since then, a handful of people have been discovered with this special attribute. The mechanism by which this innate resistance to the HIV virus occurs is as follows;

CCR5 deletion; a mechanism behind the innate resistance by humans to the HIV Virus

B
The C-C chemokine receptor type 5 also less commonly known as CCR5 or CD195 is an important protein found on the surfaces of leukocytes (white blood cells) and heavily involved in the immune system due to its role as a receptor for chemokines (signaling proteins that act as chemoattractants guiding the movement of cells). The HIV virus uses the CCR5 as a co-receptor to gain entrance into and cause infection in host cells. Certain individuals however possess a mutated form of this protein known as CCR5-Δ32 and thus are exempted from the infestation and infection by the HIV virus (The HIV virus cannot gain entrance into the cells due to the absence of its original co-receptor, CCR5)
This mutation is as result of the inheritance of the Delta 32 which leads to the deletion of a certain portion of CCR5 gene. In normal humans, this CCR5 gene which codes for the CCR5 protein is located on the short arm at the number 21 position on the number 3 chromosome. People who are homozygous for this mutation are resistant to the M-tropic type of the HIV-1 virus.

CONCLUSION.
Although very little is known about the mechanism of innate resistance to HIV, the existence of humans who can’t be killed by this lethal virus is quite amazing. I personally believe this can be exploited and even looked more into during the course for the discovery of the cure to the HIV infection and thus offers more prospects for the future of modern medicine.

THANKS FOR READING !!!!

REFERENCES

1. CCR5 deletion; a mechanism behind the innate resistance by humans to the HIV Virus

IMAGE SOURCES

1. A

2. B