MAJOR ADVANCES IN THE TREATMENT OF HIV-1 INFECTION

摘要

Eight drugs are now marketed in the UK for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Here we discuss these drugs and review the evidence that they delay HIV disease progression and prolong survival. HIV exists in two forms: HIV-1 which causes most HIV disease worldwide and HIV-2 which is confined mainly to West Africa. The virus infects its key target, the CD4-positive T lymphocyte, by first attaching to the CD4 receptor and other cell membrane molecules and then introducing its RNA into the cell. The viral enzyme reverse transcriptase uses this RNA as a template to generate DNA, which is then incorporated into the host's DNA and, in turn, transcribed to produce viral RNA.