Table 1.
Characteristics of human retroviruses and human diploid cells.
| Variable | HIV-1 | HTLV-1 | HTLV-2 | HERV | Human diploid cells |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mutation rate | 10-4 | 10-5 | 10-6 | 10-6 | 10-7 |
| Viral load (no treatment) | High | Low | Very low | Absence | Absence |
| CD4+ T cells loss | Yes | No | No | No | ____ |
| CD8+ T cells increase | Yes | Yes? | Yes? | No data | ______ |
| IL-2 production | decreased | Increased | Very high? | No data | _____ |
| Estimated time in human genome (years) | ~ 102 | 106 | 107 | 108 | 109 |
| Apoptosis rate | High | Low | Low | Very low | Very low |
| Morbidity (no treatment) | High | Intermediate | None | None | 0 |
HERV: human endogenous retroviruses; HIV-1 human immunodeficiency virus type 1.
HTLV-1: Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1; HTLV-2: Human T-lymphotropic virus type II; IL-2: interleukin-2-.
Note: HTLV-3 and HTLV-4 were not included for lack of data.