HIV-1/AIDS is a devastating disease disrupting the lives of tens of millions of people across the world. An effective vaccine is still not yet in sight. The proteins encoded by this virus possess astonishingly high contents of hydrogen bonding-capable amino acid residues, conferring proton stress, allowing the buildup of mutagenic HCl and prompting rapid viral evolution. As high variation rates permit viral immune evasion, one feasible way to perhaps contain HIV-1 is to attenuate proton stress and minimize viral mutagenesis. Weak organic acid-rich diet and calcium supplement can be integrated to achieve this objective, since they counteract strong acids via raising cellular pH or enhancing the formation of insoluble and stiff calcium salts to neutralize acids respectively.

As an anti-inflammatory hormone, dexamethasone may minimize proton buildup and down-regulate the production of oxalate. The reduced generation of insoluble and stiff calcium oxalate might account for the substantial drop of mortality rates by dexamethasone amid the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Rabies virus, Ebola virus and African Swine Fever virus cause diseases with 100% or near 100% maximum mortality. The virulence mechanisms are not fully known. Their virulence proteins, VP24 of Ebola virus, glycoprotein G of Rabies virus, A238L of African Swine Fever virus harbor high contents of particular amino acids, with some characteristics resembling cationic antimicrobial peptides or that of causative factors of heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and Prion disease. These viral sequence features can be explored to account for the virulence mechanisms and to design prophylactic strategies for combating these lethal pathogens.

AIDS patients often display symptom of diarrhea, an indication of hydrogen bonding mediated by viral proteins with amino acids capable of secondary chemical bonding. With hydrogen bonding to protons, local strong acids such as HCl could build up, giving rise to proton stress which may damage cells or trigger tumorigenesis. Weak organic acids counteract strong acids and attenuate proton stress. The integration of antiviral medicine with probiotics could yield favorable outcomes to AIDS patients and meanwhile reduce cancer incidences.