Background: The purpose of this research paper is to obtain a better understanding of the significance evolution plays in the adaptation of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) to become drug resistant.

Methods: The procedures taken to understand the role evolution takes on the HIV virus to adapt and become drug resistant are to understand the history of the HIV virus and how HIV mutations allow for the virus to evolve inside the body and become drug resistant. When HIV enters the body it replicates and attacks the body’s T-cells which play a central role in the human immune system. HIV replicates at a fast rate and creates two types of the virus, wild-type and mutated. Anti-HIV drugs can slow down the replication of the HIV virus but does not fully stop the evolution of the HIV virus to becoming drug resistant. Gender differences are another procedure to understand the evolution of the HIV virus and the ability to adapt and become drug resistant.

Results: Gender has very little effect on the evolution of the HIV virus, but race does have some effect on how HIV replicates and evolves to become drug resistant. There is no known way to completely stop the evolution of the HIV virus and mutations will continue to occur. There are no cures to combat against the evolution of the HIV virus but there are ways to try and slow down the replicating of the virus to create for a better understanding.

Conclusion: Understanding how the HIV virus adapts to become drug resistant through evolution can help create anti-biotic treatment but there are no ways to stop evolution from occurring.

~MH