Photo AI
A patient with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) subtype O was treated with drug QT - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 17 - 2010 - Paper 1
Question 17
A patient with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) subtype O was treated with drug QT. After a few weeks of treatment, all of the HIV in the patient was resistant to ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A patient with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) subtype O was treated with drug QT - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 17 - 2010 - Paper 1
Step 1
survival of drug-resistant viruses already in the patient at the time of treatment.
Answer
The resistance observed in all the HIV in the patient is likely due to the survival of pre-existing drug-resistant variants of the virus rather than a new infection or changes induced by the drug. This means that even before the treatment with drug QT began, there were existing variants that were already resistant, which proliferated during therapy.