Current Treatment and Modern Trends in the Treatment of Hepatitis C.
Need help with my writing homework on Current Treatment and Modern Trends in the Treatment of Hepatitis C. Write a 2000 word paper answering; However, several research studies are being conducted to combat the disease. In this review, I have tried to depict the elusive nature of the Hepatitis C virus and provide a comprehensive list of ongoing research that aims to provide improved therapies to individuals suffering from Hepatitis C.
There is a great interest in learning about the structure of HCV, its genetic variants, and its reproductive method because scientists are eager to find a good treatment solution to combat this dreaded disease. However, there has been some progress in this area:
HCV has been classified as the only member of the genus Hepacivirus in the family Flaviviridae (Moradpour and Blum 519). The virus is approximately 50 nm in diameter and has a 9.6 kb-long, single-stranded, positive-sense RNA as its genetic material (WHOb 3). Although the morphological structure of the HCV is still unknown, based on 3-D structures of related viruses, it is hypothesized that the single positive strand of RNA is surrounded by a protective shell of a protein called nucleocapsid, which is icosahedral in shape (See figure. 1). This shell is further encased in an icosahedral lipid membrane which contains two envelope glycoproteins 1 and 2 which form heterodimers at the surface of the virion (Penin et al 10).
Since the genetic information of the Hepatitis C virus is stored in a single strand of RNA, it gives the virus its dangerous ability to mutate frequently and thereby develop new genetic variations of itself. These mutated versions are mostly different from their predecessors such that the immune system of the host fails to recognize them (The Hepatitis C Virus 1). Therefore, if the immune system begins to succeed against one variation, the mutant strains quickly multiply and become the new, predominant strains. Hence, the development of antibodies against HCV does not produce immunity against the disease as it does with most other .viruses. .