The HIV/AIDS epidemic has also been a huge public concern across the globe and it is true the Shulman (2008) has pointed out that AIDS is always the center of attention when the topic of infectious diseases is discussed. Though true, additional information should be disseminated to society that the HIV virus is continuously evolving to date and that a recent report by Navis and colleagues (2008) have discussed that not only is the virus evolving across the globe– HIV evolution still continues after infection of an individual.
Their report describes that monitoring of the HIV virus in infected patients from 2 weeks to 2 years after infection showed incessant genetic changes in the genome of the virus. Such observation poses a problem to research groups that are attempting to design vaccines for the eradication of the HIV virus, because this report suggests that any vaccine that is released for medical use will not be effective because the HIV virus will be genetically different from what was initially based upon.
The bubonic plague is one of the youngest infectious diseases that have afflicted public health, with approximately a century ago since its introduction from Europe. However, it should be of importance if Shulman (2008) were able to mention currently, the pathogen for bubonic plague, Yersinia pestis, has been observed to accumulate mutations, resulting in a more diverse species and therefore increasing the chances of the emergence of a stronger strain of bubonic plague in the future (Auerbach et al., 2007).
It is also interesting to note that since Yersinia pestis is a relatively new pathogenic strain, this bacteria has the capacity to mutate at an even faster rate that the other longer-existing bacterial pathogens. The adaptation of hygienic conditions through history has controlled the spread of cholera across the world yet it is true that this infectious disease still afflicts certain countries.
The employment of chlorination and filtering water for human consumption has thus tremendously helped the prevention of cholera, yet it is also important to know that the bacteria Vibrio, which causes cholera has also evolved through time by adapting to the changes in the seasons of specific locations. Since cholera is generally observed in countries that experience monsoon rains, biomedical research has also indicated that the pathogen is more active and robust during specific seasons and have adapted to survive the dry or summer seasons and be highly prolific during the wet rainy seasons.
Koelle et al. (2005) have called this evolutionary phenomenon in Vibrio as adaptive dynamics and they have suggested a theory that the disease worsens based on the dynamics of the bacteria during specific seasons of the year. With respect to malaria and yellow fever, which has afflicted millions of deaths across the world each year, the administration of quinine and the employment of mosquito sprays have changed the lifestyles of society through the years.
However, similar to other pathogens, the virus associated with malaria has also evolved through history and is now reported to carry a modified genetic content presenting novel functions for infection and transmission. Such changes in the virus will also affect the method of detection and treatment of malaria patients (Waterhouse et al. , 2007).