Viruses, chemotherapy and immunity. NLM AIDSLINE Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1993. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

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Viruses, chemotherapy and immunity.

Parasitology. 1992;105 Suppl:S85-92. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/93390998
Koziel MJ; Walker BD; Infectious Disease Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.

Abstract: An increasing number of antiviral agents are presently in various stages of development and testing, and an increasing number have recently been licensed for use in humans. These drugs have been used extensively to treat viral infections in immunocompromised individuals, and these studies indicate that for many antiviral agents the response to therapy is highly dependent on the integrity of the underlying host immune response. In particular, the response to zidovudine, acyclovir and ganciclovir in persons with HIV-1 infection is highly dependent upon CD4 number, which can be considered a surrogate marker for the state of host immune function in these subjects. Responses to interferons likewise can be shown to depend on the host immune response, with responses due to both direct antiviral effects of this agent as well as immunomodulatory effects mediated through interferon-induced upregulation of HLA molecule expression. The interdependence of host immunity with antiviral efficacy is underscored by the increased antiviral drug resistance in persons with advanced degrees of chronic immunosuppression, related to the higher level of viral replication and viraemia which occurs in the absence of an effective host immune response. Further definition of the precise mechanisms of these interactions should facilitate the rational design of antiviral agents and immunomodulatory therapies to improve treatment of viral infections.
Keywords: Acyclovir/PHARMACOLOGY/THERAPEUTIC USE Antiviral Agents/PHARMACOLOGY/*THERAPEUTIC USE AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/DRUG THERAPY/IMMUNOLOGY Cytomegalovirus Infections/DRUG THERAPY/IMMUNOLOGY Drug Resistance, Microbial Ganciclovir/PHARMACOLOGY/THERAPEUTIC USE Herpesviridae Infections/DRUG THERAPY/IMMUNOLOGY Human HIV Infections/DRUG THERAPY/IMMUNOLOGY HIV-1 Immunity, Cellular/DRUG EFFECTS Interferons/PHARMACOLOGY/THERAPEUTIC USE Major Histocompatibility Complex/DRUG EFFECTS Virus Diseases/*DRUG THERAPY/*IMMUNOLOGY Zidovudine/PHARMACOLOGY/THERAPEUTIC USE JOURNAL ARTICLE REVIEW REVIEW, TUTORIALKWDacyclovir/pharmacology/therapeuticuseantiviralagents/pharmacology/
931230
M93C0765

Copyright © 1993 - National Library of Medicine. Reproduced under license with the National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD.

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