Genetic Resistence to HIV and AIDS

Identification of genetic resistance to HIV and AIDS in carriers of the CCR5 Gene Variant.

There is a relatively large number of people in Europe who are genetically resistant to HIV infections and AIDS. If the gene with the CCR5 variant is inherited from both parents (= homozygote) an HIV infection is very rare even under constant exposure to the virus. Inheriting the genetic variant from one parent (= heterozygote) makes an infection with HIV possible, however progression to AIDS is largely reduced and extremely rare. Up to 17% of the population in some areas carry this CCR5 gene and a test for it is recently commercially available in our centre. (www.deutscher-labortest-service.de )The costs for the test are 248 Euros. The test can be done from saliva and buccal swabs. A positive result can reduce the amount of antiviral medication to be taken by HIV positive individuals and thus avoid serious side effects with these medications that are usually been taken for the rest of the patient's life. 

The test does not indicate 100% certainty and CCR5 positive individuals can still transmit HIV to others. However, a carrier status can give peace of mind to those who live with a HIV positive partner, to those who work in the medical profession or with AIDS patients and to those who are infected with the virus but not yet progressed to AIDS (and perhaps never will progress if CCR5 postive).