The mother of this newborn arrived to deliver her baby premature. Tests showed that she was positive for HIV. The newborn tested positive at two days old for both viral DNA and RNA. She also was positive at 12 days old and 20 days old. When the baby grew to 29 days old, the HIV RNA levels fell so low that they were undetectable. It looked as though the drug combination worked. The baby recieved liquid ART each day which is a combination of zidovudine, lamivudine, and co-formulated lopinavir-ritonavir. When the baby was 18 months old in January 2012, the mother stopped visiting the clinic. In autumn 2012, the physicians tracked the baby and found that the viral RNA was still undetectable. It is intriguing to professor Joseph McCune that immaturity of a newborn's immune system enabled the baby to cope with the HIV. It is still unsure if the cure only works for just the one child or if it even did cure the child but it could gives clues on how to completely cure HIV.
NOS Themes:
- Science is based on evidence
- Science is subject to debate and tentative
- Role of credibility
- Role of motivation and curiosity
Article:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=child-hiv-cure-duplicate&page=2
Related Article:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000602.htm
Tyler Knutson Hour 3
Wow I never thought a cure for HIV would come so soon. I really wonder if this was a special circumstance for this child or if it really is a potential cure that can help the millions of people that are affected by HIV.
ReplyDeleteIf this is the same child that I've heard about on the radio, then this will apply.
ReplyDeleteThis story is amazing, and it would be amazing if this were a stepping stone to curing HIV and AIDS, but the kid could have been saved from as many antibiotics had the mother taken the drugs to prevent her child from having HIV during pregnancy. Had the kid not been cured, it would have been the mother's fault for being so naive. Sadly, ignorance or laziness is the cause for a lot of the spreading of HIV, and I find it really horrible that so many people have to have such a disease that could have easily been prevented. Not using a dirty needle, or using a condom could have saved so many people.
That's very interesting. It's amazing to think that a child's body can fight off HIV, especially when it is so young. Babies can be very prone to disease and with HIV it's a little ironic a baby so prone to diseases can fight one off. This is interesting but I would like to know if it is repeatable. If it is just a one time circumstance, the infection wasn't too bad, or if the combination of medicine could be consistent. That could lead to a break through in medical studies worldwide.
ReplyDeleteWow if HIV becomes curable then it will save millions of lives in the future. Another theme is repeatability. I hope this one wasnt just a fluke!
ReplyDelete