HIV AND OTHER HUMAN RETROVIRUSES

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1991. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

HIV AND OTHER HUMAN RETROVIRUSES

Antiviral Agents and Viral Diseases in Man. Third Edition. Galasso GJ et al, eds. New York, Raven, p. 581-646, 1990.. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE ICDB/91676216
Richman DD; Dept. of Pathology, Univ. of California at San Diego, San Diego,; CA 92161

Abstract: The isolation and characterization of HIV, the human retrovirus that is the etiologic agent of AIDS, has become the most intensively investigated subject in the history of medicine. The Retroviridae consist of three subfamilies, the Oncovirinae, the Spumavirinae, and the Lentivirinae. The Oncovirinae consist primarily of oncogenic viruses. The first pathogenic human retrovirus isolates, human T lymphotropic virus (HTLV)-1 and HTLV-2, belong to this subfamily. Human viruses have been identified from all the subfamilies, but disease has been associated only with viruses from the oncornaviruses (HTLV-1 and HTLV-2) and lentiviruses (HIV-1 and HIV-2). HIVs in particular and other human retroviruses are reviewed, with emphasis on attempts to develop antiviral agents. Topics include characteristics of HIV and HTLV (virion structure, genome organization and proteins, replication and potential sites for specific antiviral therapy), pathogenesis (host cells and target organ systems), immune response, clinical manifestations, epidemiology, diagnosis, compounds with antiretroviral activity in vitro (inhibition of binding and penetration, of reverse transcriptase, of transcription and translation, and of post-translational modification; interaction with virion structure; and compounds with undetermined site of action), and clinical studies (suramin, azidothymidine, dideoxycytidine, foscarnet, HPA-23, rifabutin, ribavirin, dextran sulfate, AL721, other drugs, and biologic response modifiers). At least in the near future, antiviral treatment of HTLV-1 and other oncornavirus infections will represent the application of drugs developed against HIV. Investigation of antivirals is merited for disease processes in which active replication of HTLV-1 is occurring, such as HTLV-1-associated myelopathy. (600 Refs)

Keywords: Animal Antiviral Agents/ADVERSE EFFECTS/*THERAPEUTIC USE Comparative Study Human HIV/*DRUG EFFECTS HIV Infections/*DRUG THERAPY HTLV-BLV Infections/DRUG THERAPY HTLV-BLV Viruses/DRUG EFFECTS Retroviridae/*DRUG EFFECTS Retroviridae Infections/*DRUG THERAPY Virus Replication/*DRUG EFFECTS MONOGRAPH REVIEW, ACADEMIC REVIEW
912130
M91C4106

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