Aggressive HIV strain identified in Cuba, develops into full-blown AIDS within three years

A strain of HIV that could develop into AIDS before patients realize they are infected has been identified in Cuba. This HIV strain if not treated develops into full-blown AIDS within three years, according to a new study.

According to the researchers at Belgium's Catholic University of Leuven, the strain of HIV virus progresses so rapidly, that the infected patients may not seek antiretroviral therapy till it's too late.

The researchers were able to identify the new variant (named "CRF19″) by studying the blood of 73 recently infected HIV patients and comparing the blood samples of those who were diagnosed with AIDS, those without AIDS and those who developed AIDS after living with HIV for more than three years. All patients who developed AIDS within three years of their HIV infection were infected with the CRF19 strain.

"As these patients had progressed very fast, they are likely to be recently infected. As we know that they had been tested HIV negative one or a maximum two years before, none of them had received any form of treatment for the virus. And all of them are infected with the mutated strain of HIV and now have developed AIDS within three years period," Anne-Mieke Vandamme, a professor of medicine at the University of Leuvan in Belgium, explained.

The medical experts strongly recommend people living in or visiting Cuba to take  all preventive measures, such as avoiding unprotected sex or have safe blood transfusion, in order to minimize their risk of falling prey to the potentially fatal disease.

Their findings have been published in the medical journal EBioMedicine.