[Biology][Practical-19] HIV Questions

General Discussion
1

HIV & AIDS

  • How is HIV treated? The treatment for HIV is called anti-retroviral therapy (ART) . However, it cannot cure HIV but only increases the survival rate.

  • HIV is a type of retrovirus that is derived from the simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIV)

  • HIV is a retrovirus, which means that it has RNA instead of DNA and uses the host’s cells to convert it into DNA, thanks to its reverse transcriptase

  • How does ART work? ART stops the multiplication of the virus and reduces its number inside the body. This helps the patient stay healthy.

  • Describe the structure of HIV:

image

  • HIV targets T cells = CD4 cells

  • How can HIV be transmitted?

Through direct contact with some infected body fluids. This includes:

  • blood
  • semen
  • rectal fluids
  • vaginal fluids
  • breast milk
  • What are the different types of tests?
  1. Antibody tests: they scan for antibodies in oral fluids and blood
  2. Antigen/antibody tests: they detect HIV antibodies and antigens in the blood
  3. Nucleic acid tests: they detect HIV in the blood as well
  • HIV multiplication is a 4-step process:
  1. Binding and entry: HIV fuses with the CD4 cell’s membrane en releases its viral RNA and enzyme inside
  2. Reverse transcription: the strand of RNA is turned into a double-stranded DNA molecule thanks to the reverse transcriptase
  3. Replication
  4. Budding and maturation: the virions are released out of the CD4 cell and can continue the replication process
  • What are the different infection stages of HIV?

image

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2

I am just curious.
I assume a baby can be infected HIV if the mother is positive since the fetal and maternal circulation are related, even if the mother doesn’t breastfeed the baby. Is it correct?

3

If the mother had HIV before the baby was born yes usually, but in some cases it might not occur too, I’ve heard that about herpes as well.

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