There is no known disease called "Shiv disease." The term "Shiv" in the context of medical research typically refers to Simian-Human Immunodeficiency Virus (SHIV). SHIV is not a disease itself, but rather a type of virus used in scientific research. It's a genetically engineered virus created by combining parts of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), which infects monkeys and apes, with components of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Researchers use SHIV to model HIV infection in non-human primates to study HIV pathogenesis, test potential treatments, and develop vaccines.
Understanding SHIV and its Role in Research
SHIV is a valuable tool in HIV/AIDS research because it allows scientists to study the virus in a living model that more closely resembles human infection than studying SIV alone would. Research using SHIV has yielded significant insights, including:
- Understanding viral replication and pathogenesis: Studies using SHIV in rhesus macaques have provided valuable data on how HIV replicates and causes disease in primates (https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jvi.00372-19). For instance, researchers have observed similar viral kinetics in macaques infected with SHIV.CH505 as seen in humans with HIV.
- Investigating the effects of antiretroviral therapy (ART): Infant rhesus macaques have been used to model HIV-1 infection through breastfeeding, allowing researchers to study viral persistence under ART (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33087463/).
- Testing vaccine efficacy: SHIV models are critical in evaluating the effectiveness of HIV vaccine candidates, as demonstrated in studies showing durable protection against mucosal SHIV infection through T cell-inducing vaccines (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0858-8).
- Exploring the impact of co-infections: Researchers study co-infections with SHIV and other viruses (like Zika) to understand their potential impact on disease progression (https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0006811).
It's crucial to remember that SHIV cannot infect humans. The research conducted using SHIV is vital in advancing our understanding and combating HIV/AIDS. Studies using SHIV have also revealed effects like vascular inflammation and decreased KLF2 expression, mirroring early atherosclerotic changes seen in HIV-infected individuals (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4813739/). High pathogenicity SIVs can also cause symptoms like acute diarrhea, rash, and massive lymphocyte proliferation (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC110099/).
