Excerpts from my Conversation with HIV-1 About Virus Extinction
J. Gerardo García-Lerma
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*Correspondence: J. Gerardo García-Lerma, Email not available
Abstract
Some of you may think that I am not smartvirus because I make a lot of errors during myRNA-dependent DNA synthesis. But, let me tellyou something, I purposefully make all thoseerrors so I can adapt to any selective pressureyou may try. I am aware that I produce manynon-viable virions, but I am still able to generateescape mutants. Since I can produce ~1010particles a day, it doesn’t matter if the majorityof them are defective. Escape is my objective.Escape from drugs and the immune system.Even when you combine several drugs to try tosuppress me, I still manage to replicate. I willalways have a pre-existing quasispecies with aselective advantage or can generate one denovo.
