Q41 - Antibody Evolution Traces the Red Queen Dynamic in Untreated HIV

Theoretical B Real exam question - full text reproduced under IBO's CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license

Molecular Evolution & Neutral Theory Immune Physiology

Dame Amanda Fisher discovered many properties of the HIV. HIV has two states. It can remain dormant within cells or can be active, replicating and producing viral proteins. In 2016, the National Health Service announced a new treatment, which awakens dormant HIV and kills active HIV. Many recipients are preliminarily cured. Three patients (1, 2, & 3) contracted HIV at time 0, and remained untreated. Each month, blood samples were taken from each patient. Antibodies and virus were separately extracted from the samples. Antibodies from each timepoint were mixed with viruses from each timepoint, and the infectiousness of the antibody-treated virus was measured.

Figure 1 for Q41: Antibody Evolution Traces the Red Queen Dynamic in Untreated HIV

Using the information and data, determine which of the statements are true or which are false.

A. In the first month of infection, patients suppress circulating HIV.

B. Patients’ antibodies will be more effective against awakened dormant virus, than currently active virus.

C. Patient 2 developed AIDS last.

D. The virus evolved most rapidly in patient 3.

E. The immune system is better at targeting cells infected with inactive virus than active virus.

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Question reproduced from IBO 2017, Theoretical Exam B, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 - attributed to the International Biology Olympiad. Open the full exam PDF · Official answer key & worked solutions