The highly aggressive human immunodeficiency virus or (HIV) that is responsible for destroying the body’s immune system has a less aggressive mutant. Researchers at South Africa’s Centre for the AIDS Program of Research discovered the variant of the common HIV virus that is less potent when transmitted to other humans.
The HIV virus works in the body by invading a cell and using it to replicate itself. The Class I Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) is the most important gene that when inflicted by the HIV determines the rate of progression of AIDS in the body. However, genetic composition of certain variants of the HLA, HLA-B*57 or B*5801 alleles has the ability to force mutation of HIV virus damaging its reproductive ability and weakening its progression. This mutant of HIV virus that escapes being targeted by cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs) are weaker that the wild-type virus and when transmitted even to individuals without the beneficial HLA gene considerably slows down the progression of AIDS in the body.
Source: Yahoo
