The AIDS virus begins to mutate, or change into genetically different forms, soon after a person is infected, researchers have learned.
"The findings are considered important because they may affect work to design therapies and vaccines for AIDS. The virus' rapid variation complicates the ability of the immune system to deal with a changing target," said a statement issued by the University of California, Los Angeles.Drs. Shen Pang, Irvin S.Y. Chen and colleagues analyzed the genetic makeup of AIDS virus taken from two people less than two months after they were infected.
"It was a surprise to us that variant strains of virus can begin to appear as quickly as a few weeks after infection. . . . It probably occurs even sooner," said Chen, a professor of microbiology, immunology and medicine.
"As we learn more about how this virus acts, we will be better equipped to design drugs and therapies that can fight it," he said.
The study was published in the May issue of the journal AIDS.