</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Jazelindizayo:
<strong>.. do other retroviruses display the same level of complex genetic consistitution as the HIV?...</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The other retroviruses also pose the same complexity as the HIV virus. The properties, which distinguish them as retroviruses, make them mutate very fast and grow resistant to pharmaceutical antiviruses. From my last post you will notice the reverse transcriptase stage, which normally causes the RNAP - RNA polymerase to occur is present as asserted. The other retroviruses also exhibit complexities as well.
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">..retrovirus that is does the HIV posesses other genes that are peculiar only to the HIV and not to other retroviruses? If not where then does the complexity of the HIV virus reside?...</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Certainly the genoms of the HIV (both HIV-1 and HIV-2) virus was sequenced including feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), just mention a few. HIV is a human virus and has shown some complexities. I hope as I say this you understand that research is still underway to find the cure for these retroviruses. Some experiments have shown that the FIV infection in cats can be inhibited by pharmaceutical methods. This, I should say is still under tests and I hope soon enough we shall have the pharmaceutical methods to stop FIV from resulting in feline AIDS. HTLV-I & 2 also exist in humans and also pose as threat known to cause leukemia/lymphoma. I have also heard of HTLV4 and 5 but have not obtained sufficient information on them.
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">...you point out this offers an insight as to finding a cure for the virus...</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">My statement above is simply to say that the first step to finding the solution to a problem would be to understand the problem itself. If I affirm that the cycle I have presented gives some insights to finding the cure them practically I would be saying I can cure an infected subject. Please view this as a simple depiction to make readers understand the cycle and complexity of retroviruses.
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">...AZT ... was supposed to function as a nucleotide analogue that would interfere with the formation of viral DNA from its RNA template... Could you shed any light... </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Just as you indicate, when AZT in spliced into the DNA strands, the reverse transcriptase will be stopped. Normally by inhibiting the RT phase we would be halting the synthesis and mutation of the virus. You must be aware of the toxic properties of AZT and other DNA chain-terminators that will kill even uninfected T cells. AZT therefore cannot be an antivirus for HIV.
I heard from a friend that now, because of the its functions, AZT is now being prescribed for psoriasis and cancer patients to kill growing cells by halting cell DNA synthesis.