Question
Do I have one HIV virus or many…
15 March 2006. Related: All topics.
Does someone who is HIV-positive have one virus or many different viruses?
Answer
Most people are only infected with one HIV virus. At the start of the infection, the virus that is produced in that person is all very similar. However, the virus produces millions of new copies of itself each day, making tiny mistakes or mutations each time. Over time, this means that an individual will develop thousands of very similar, but slightly different viruses.
Sometimes people are infected with two or more different HIV viruses. This can be because they were exposed to two different viruses within a short period of their initial HIV infection, or because they were reinfected with a second HIV virus later. It is not clear how often reinfection occurs between two HIV-positive people.
(Adapted from a question from the i-Base Q&A pages of the African Eye a new treatment publication for African communities affected by HIV who are living in the UK)
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