From AVN:

The viral load tests for Darren James and Lara Roxx, the two adult performers that were recently diagnosed as HIV-positive, indicate that James is “patient zero” of the current outbreak.

Viral loads indicate the amount of the virus per 1ml of blood. HIV-positive patients regularly check their viral load to monitor the virus’ progression. The general rule of thumb is the lower the viral count, the better.

Darren James had a viral load count of 121,000, while Lara Roxx has a viral load count of 605,000. According to Sharon Mitchell, PhD, executive director of the AIM Healthcare Foundation, those results point to James as “patient zero,” the person who brought the virus into the adult community for this isolated outbreak.

“Roxx’s was higher, but that means it’s more recent because we know it surges in the first 18 to 30 days,” Mitchell said.

James’ test results showed that his viral load was on the way down, indicating he had the virus for a longer period of time.
James' is believed to have been exposed to the HIV-virus while working in Brazil last month. It is not yet known how James acquired the virus.

thats some sad shit. But what difference does it make now who brought it in? I'll puke if the gov't tries to force condoms.

it makes adiffrence in the lists because if lara is patient 0 we need to add the people she worked or did privates with before james.

oh.........i thought they already did.

how long before they know its contained and that everyone else is okay?

JRV your background in this pathway amazes me... are you also a biochemistry graduate?

I just hate all that RNA reverse-transcriptase crap, how the guanine transforms into uranine, and i just completely loathed the Krebs cycle, most importantly the production of fumarate and the by-products leaving the cycle..

Usually to my knowledge protease inhibitor treatment is more for the advanced HIV patient.

When making a decision to start antiretroviral therapy it should be guided by minotoring the laboratory parameters of Plasma viral load and CD4+ T cell count as well as the persons clinical condition.

With the results it provides the laboratory with information virologically and immunologically of the patient and its risks for the HIVs progression to AIDS.

The measurement of plasma viral load should be performed every three to four months after diagnosis for the untreated patients. CD4+ T Cell should be measured every 3-6 months. This is actually a recommendation to ensure greater possibilities of controling HIV. Although once taking antiretroviral therapy, patients viral load are tested and measured immediately again at 2-8weeks, depending on the person.

Viral load testing is important when it comes to deciding what antiretroviral therapies to go for or what therapy to change. Although medicine can add up to a lot of doh, people today can live a longer and more pleasant life with the treatments we have today.

Darren and even Lara should be able to live normal lives like anyone else, minus the promiscuous lifestyle.

No chance in hell are we going to get a list of all the privates that she did.

The treatment is brutal... it may help HIV but then the patient ends up suffering with a long list of other side effects. It really makes a person question if it's worth it. Similar example is chemotherapy for cancer patients.

We in the adult industry are tested for one type of HIV which is HIV-1. The next well known HIV is HIV-2 although this is extremely rare in our country and any other country other than West Africa like Gambia, Liberia, Ghana and those countries.

Four strains of HIV-2 have been identified which isn't much more closely related to strains found in the wild mangabey monkeys in West Afr. The different clades is what helps distinguish how which strand was transmitted. Its pretty interesting. (this doesn't mean people really fucked monkeys, there are many possibilities. These type of monkeys have been known to enter the community of families and attack brutally which can be transmitted that way as well)

Although the HIV-2 is less pathogenic than HIV-1, its more difficult to isolate HIV-2 from infected people. It's more complex in structure and takes a hell of a lot longer to develop in the body such as 15-20years. So transmitting the virus to someone else during those years its difficult because of very low levels of virus. That explains why its less widespread.

I've read that researchers found that it would take HIV-1 to double widespread in Africa in five years. It would take about 30 years to double infection of HIV-2.

Anybody know what the threshold is between having HIV and full blown AIDS?

As I understand it AIDS is diagnosed when a patient rises above a certain level of T-cells. I think it's T-cells. I know very little about this.

But what can we infer about Laura Roxx's "level of infection" based on the viral load? Is she anywhere close to having actual AIDS?

Edit: Aapparently I got it wrong. I just read in another thread that the threashold is when the T-cell count falls below 20% of the normal count.

SO, can anything be inferred about hLaura's t-cell count based on her viral load. I would guess not, but I don't know enough about it to say for sure. Anyone?