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VIRUS - HIV-1 |
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Generally, when people refer to the human immune virus they are referring
to the HIV-1, because it is the common one that people know of and as such
mistaken to be the only HIV by people.
HIV-1 is a highly variable virus which
replicates (reproduce itself) very readily. So there are different strains of HIV-1. These
strains are being classified according to groups and subtypes and there are two
groups, group M and group O.
In September 1998, researches showed that there was a new strain of HIV found in
a woman from Cameroon in West Africa. The strain does not belong to either group
M or group O, and has only been found in three other people, all in the
Cameroon.
Within group M there are currently known to be at least 10 genetically distinct
subtypes of HIV-1. These are subtypes A to J. In addition, Group O contains
another distinct group of very heterogeneous viruses. The subtypes of group M
may differ as much between subtypes as group M differs from group O.The other
type of HIV is the HIV-2, but it is not very common and bears some little
resemblance to the simian immunodeficiency virus found in the sooty mangabey
monkey (SIVsm)
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SECTION OUTLINE |
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- Structure : How the HIV virus looks like
and how it's body is grouped
- Life cycle: Explains stages through which HIV
develops
- Subtypes : Various subtypes of HIV known
- Vaccines : General information on AIDS
vaccines
Online Activities
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