Question

HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has a genome that includes the code for reverse transcriptase, an enzyme that can create a DNA genome using an RNA template. The HIV genome also includes a code for protease, an enzyme that cuts long viral polypeptides into smaller, functional proteins.
Drugs called nucleoside analogs act against reverse transcriptase and drugs called protease inhibitors act against protease.
Which of the following treatments is least likely to produce a drug-resistant strain of HIV in a patient?

• A. Slowly increasing the dose of a single protease inhibitor over the course of two weeks.
• B. Using a series of nucleoside analogs, one at a time, and changing them every two weeks.
• C. Using high doses of both protease inhibitors and nucleoside analogs at the same time for a period of one day to avoid the effects of chemical toxicity in the patient's body.
• D. Using moderate doses of nucleoside analogs and two different protease inhibitors at the same time for several months.

Answer 1

The correct option is D Using moderate doses of nucleoside analogs and two different protease inhibitors at the same time for several months.

Viral genetic material undergoes mutations abruptly to give rise to new forms that can render the Nucleoside analogs ineffective and the reverse transcription process and replication of viral DNA can occur. Similarly the proteases that break down viral polypeptides to functional proteins for the formation of viral proteins is inhibited by different types of protease inhibitors.

Both when administered together in varying combinations can help prolong the life of a HIV patient.

Usually a combination of a nucleoside analog and two different protease inhibitors are used, also called the triple cocktail

So, the correct answer is 'Using moderate doses of nucleoside analogs and two different protease inhibitors at the same time for several months'