Abstract

Background: This study describes the progression of pathological condition of an HIV positive patient following oral administration of a multiple cocktail of drugs. The drugs used consisted of a combination of 3 Reverse Transcriptase (RT) inhibitors namely 3TC (Biochem Pharma), Zerit (Bristol Myers Squibb), Sustiva (Dupont Pharmaceutical) along with a naturally derived product Restomune (Bioscan Continental Inc). The drugs were given orally over a period of several years but carefully monitored since Jan, 2000 by measuring important parameters
such as viral load, CD4(+) T cell, CD8(+) T cell and CD4(+) T Lymphocyte counts.
Case Report: The patient (JB) is a male 45 year old French Canadian first diagnosed with HIV in the fall of 1992. However he first developed the symptoms in 1987 when he was 30 years old. Thus it is nearly 15 years that the patient is living with AIDS. Since 1988 JB has lost to AIDS four of his friends who were taking high doses of either one or multiple RT-inhibitors (AZT, 3TC or DDT). However JB who started taking mainly Restomune plus vitamins and antioxidants but practically no chemical drugs since 1994 is coping with the disease relatively well. Since Jan 2000, JB was given a combination of 3 RT inhibitors along with Restomune. This resulted in significant decreased viral load, increased CD4(+) T Lymphocyte, CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell counts, suggesting an enhanced immune condition and slow down of viral replication. It is believed that Restomune acts against the host cellular protease/s of Proprotein Convertase (PCs) family that maturates HIV
viral glycoprotein, gp160 – an important step in viral fusion of host cells.
Conclusions: This study seems to support the notion that progression of HIV pathogenesis may be partially
arrested with a new combination of multiple drugs targeting both the viral-RT and the host cellular enzymes that play roles in HIV infection via replication and maturation of gp160 respectively. With the viral load significantly reduced and enhanced immune system, the patient continued to experience an improved vitality, general
strength with a normal bowel and gastro-intestinal condition.

Keywords: human immunodeficiency virus, reverse transcriptase, HIV Protease, Proprotein Convertases, viral pathogenesis, Viral Load, CD4(+)