Some Antiviral drugs could make virus stronger
Dr.Happy Lantin | Feb 03, 2010 | Comments 0
The tumultuous spread of flu virus during flu season created a necessary need for antiviral drugs designed to control viruses in our body. Various drugs are created using a variety of mechanisms in order to stop the virus to express into a full blown infection. The necessary need for antiviral drug emerges to the point where several medications have different approaches towards viral eradication. But despite the increasing demand for different kinds of antiviral medications, a team of researchers from the University of Texas at Austin raised their serious concerns about a certain mode for stopping the viral infections. According to their research, appearing in the January 2010 issue of the journal GENETIC, certain medications that are designed to kill viruses by forcing their nucleic acid to mutate rapidly might actually, in some ways, create monstrous viruses that are stronger and more virulent.
Jim Bull, Ph.D., a researcher of this study from the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology at the University of Texas at Austin, has serious questions regarding the practice of ‘legal mutagenesis’ of viruses and whether they work as expected. He opined that it remains to be proven how an elevated mutation rate may actually boost treatment or might do otherwise by promoting a more dreaded situation such as viral evolution.
The research team tested the model of viral evolution at high mutation rates by growing a DNA virus using a mutagenic agent. The accepted and predicted effect is that the virus would not handle the high mutation rates and would die. However, this study discovered and proved the model false because the virus actually increased its fitness at elevated mutation rates. This study uncovered molecular evidence that rapid mutation have two effects. The first desirable and expected effect of rapid mutation was to kill or weaken the virus. The second disastrous effect of some mutations was that they actually helped the virus adapt and thrive. This study recognized that forcing viruses to undergo rapid mutations, especially when the rate was not too high, might actually lead to well-adapted “super viruses.”
The Editor of GENETICS, Mark Johnston, greatly expressed his concern regarding this approach of stopping viruses. He believes that this issue should raise more eyebrows and concerns among people because the last thing one wants to do is make a bad situation worse. In his opinion, more work must be done to identify the possibility of this treatment approach in creating a super virus.
Just when we thought certain antiviral drugs does their beneficial effects in our body; we encounter an unraveling truth behind unwanted possibilities brought about by this drug to our health. In this manner, health professionals must be aware of different drug actions and pathogen behavior to decipher drug safety. Although certain approved drugs may pose an acceptable risk and side effects, it is still essentially important to continue further investigation and studies on their effectiveness and detrimental effects to one’s health. This study by Jim Bull, Ph. D, and his researchers serves as a holler to develop more drug testing methods to ensure drug effectiveness and safety among individuals.
REFERENCES:
http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20100014223016data_trunc_sys.shtml
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-01/gsoa-nsr011310.php
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