What we learned

This paper had a lot of information contained in it. It put into context some of the things that I have learned over the semester. Firstly, it made me realize that the quick rate of evolution of the virus, though mainly deterimental to a cure, makes it fairly easy to determine a source if a person is tested soon after contracting it. Also, it was interesting to see how prisoners are not necessarily discouraged from taking intraveneous drugs, just simply given ways of preventing infection.

- Jess

HIV is a difficult disease to combat because of its evolutionary qualities. This paper pointed out that there are different rates of evolution in different areas of the virus, which makes finding a cure difficult. I was also surprised to discover that evolution is a continuing process even within the same viral strain, and the evidence in the paper regarding the different rates brought this idea to light.

-Phil

This paper reinforced what I have been learning about the dynamic nature of the AIDS virus, a feature that allows doctors to establish homologies between several strands of the virus either within several people or one host. That this virus is able to constantly mutate is both an obstacle and an asset to those who study the disease. In the case of the studies undertaken at the Glenochil prison, researchers were able to construct a phylogeny based on the fingerprints left by the changing virus, thus leading to the recognition that transmission had come from a common source. After reading this paper I was left wondering to what degree of impact had the study on the prisoners. Armed with this type of information, one would expect those prisoners not already infected to take precautionary measures, such as not sharing needles, to prevent infection. There seems to have been little done to discourage prisoners from IV drug use, instead the prison took what they felt was a more practical position in distributing fresh needles throughout the inmates to prevent the spread of the virus. I think they would have benefited from more counseling on the dangers of drug abuse to deter those not already abusing and more treatment options to help those prisoners refrain from continued use.

-Aimee


We believe that it is very important for doctors to be aware of evolution because it affects every area of their practice. Viruses continually mutate and become resistant to the antibiotics that have been used previously. Being educated in the processes of evolution allows doctors to be able to control how much and how often they prescribe medication, particularly antibiotics. Also, as in the case of HIV and AIDS, it affects doctors' ability to find cures to diseases. Being aware of evolution will hopefully help them eventually get ahead of the disease and develop a way to kill it.

- Aimee, Phil, and Jess