Origin of HIV/AIDS and Vaccine Failure: Simulation of the Role of the Adjuvant Activation Hypothesis

Abstract

ABSTRACTHuman Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the etiological agent for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). It is possible that vaccine failure could be related to the events involved at the origin of HIV/AIDS. In this work the role of the adjuvant activation hypothesis on the origin and on the failure of vaccines, as well as other effects is evaluated by means of a simulation using a mathematical analysis, differential equations and an Excel spreadsheet. The results show that the adjuvant activation alters the viral load and the cellular and humoral Immune Response. Under certain conditions it was possible to show how the adjuvant activation could have promoted the origin of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and also, as a consequence of the SIV adaptation to human beings at the origin, the failure of present day vaccine trials. Other effects such as Immunotolerance and Antibody Dependent Enhancement (ADE) were shown. This study provides a means to examine other effectors in order to suggest therapeutic alternatives. In this case passive immunization in combination with anti-retroviral therapy showed an acceptable adaptation to the conditions tested. It is concluded that the methodological strategy of this work may be useful for the analysis of the adjuvant activation hypothesis as well as other effects, interactions and new proposals, such as thermodynamics of HIV infections.