Definitions | True or False | HIV Infection | Case Study | Miscellaneous |
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Retrovirus
Virus that uses an RNA genome to direct synthesis of a DNA intermediate that inserts into the host cell chromosome.
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False, HIV can infect macrophages and dendritic cells as well.
HIV only infects CD4 T cells.
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2-15 years
How long can clinical latency last for?
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They inhibit reverse transcriptase, so that viral cDNA cannot be made from HIV's RNA genome.
Briefly, what do the drugs zidovudine, lamivudine, and efavirenz do?
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HIV becomes resistant to these drugs because it mutates so quickly.
Why does HIV quickly become resistant to anti-retroviral drugs?
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When your CD4 T cell count falls below 200 cells per microliter of blood or when you develop one or more opportunistic illnesses, regardless of your CD4 count
At what point does HIV turn into AIDS?
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False, HIV-1 is more virulent and the principle cause of AIDS in most countries. HIV-2 is less virulent, causes a slower progression of AIDS, and is more confined to West Africa and Asia.
HIV-2 is more virulent and the principle cause of AIDS in most countries.
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- Meningitis
- Encephalitis - Pneumonia - Tuberculosis - Kaposi's sarcoma - Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma -B cell lymphoma
Name two types of opportunistic infections AIDS patients commonly become infected with.
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Pediatric AIDS deals with an HIV infection that runs a more rapid course because infants have a naive adaptive immune system when they're born and are not able to fight off the virus. Adult exhibit a slower progression of AIDS because they have a fully de
What is the difference between pediatric and adult AIDS?
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Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
What does AIDS stand for?
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Acute viremia
An HIV specific immune response.
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True
Some people have natural protection to HIV due to a deletion of their CCR5 gene.
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- Blood
- Semen - Vaginal fluid - Breast milk
Name two bodily fluids HIV can be transmitted by.
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- Anti-HIV antibodies
- HIV specific TH1 T cells and cytotoxic CD8 T cells - Mutations in the co-receptor (CCR5) used by HIV - specific HLA allotypes that allow for a strong immune response
Name one way in which the immune systems tries to resist the progression of an HIV infection.
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Human Immunodeficiency Virus
What does HIV stand for?
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Seroconversion
When an infected person first shows detectable levels of anti-HIV antibodies in their blood serum.
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True
HIV originated in the chimpanzee and the sooty mangabey.
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- Sexual intercourse
- Intravenous administration of drugs with contaminated needles - Breast-feeding - Transfusion of human blood/components from HIV-infected donors
Name two ways HIV is commonly spread.
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ELISA and Western Blot.
What assays can test for HIV?
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The structure of their CD4 molecule is different, and so HIV cannot insert its RNA into their cells.
Why are monkeys immune to the HIV virus?
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Clinical latency
The asymptomatic period that follows infection of HIV.
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False, clinical latency is the period where a vast number of T cells are activated to fight the HIV infection.
During the stage of clinical latency, immune response against the HIV virus is low.
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33 million people
Roughly, how many people are currently infected with HIV?
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They lose weight due to the release of a cytokine (TNF-alpha) which causes loss of appetite.
Why do people infected with HIV lose weight?
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Hemophiliacs have helped us better understand AIDS because they regularly go in for blood transfusions, so scientists have been able to study how HIV affects our immune system.
Which group of people helped us better understand AIDS?
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