blood borne pathogesn

Question 1

what type of cells do HIV viruses bind to?

Answer 1

CD4 T cells

Question 2

what type of nucleic acid does HIV have?

Answer 2

RNA (uses reverse transcriptase to change RNA into DNA)

Question 3

what do the proteases do in terms of HIV life cycle?

Answer 3

proteases assemble viral proteins

Question 4

which antigen in HIV does our body produce antibodies against?

Answer 4

gp120

Question 5

what is the usual latent period of HIV?

Answer 5

6weeks-30/40 years

Question 6

what is an important step of progression of HIV to AIDS involving lymph nodes?

Answer 6

lymphadenopathy - infection of lymph nodes

Question 7

what type of blood cells would indicate HIV with a LOW count of?

Answer 7

CD4 cells

Question 8

what are some HIV infection treatments?

Answer 8

nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)

protease inhibitors

Question 9

what is HAART?

Answer 9

highly active anti-retroviral therapy

combination of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors

Question 10

what are two ways of diagnosing HIV specific antibodies in a blood sample?

Answer 10

ELISA and western blotting

Question 11

what is NAAT (nucleic acid amplification or PCR) used for in the diagnosis of HIV?

Answer 11

used to detect viral RNA in serum

Question 12

why is there no vaccine available for HIV/aids?

Answer 12

the virus is constantly mutating

Question 13

what type of cells does the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infect?

Answer 13

hepatocytes (liver cells)

Question 14

what do HBsAg (hepatitis B antigens) indicate?

Answer 14

• surface antigen
• indicates infectivity
• anti HBsAg provides immunity and appears later
• FIRST antigen to present

Question 15

what is HBcAG and when does it appear in infection?

Answer 15

core antigen

appears early in infection

Question 16

what is HBeAg and what does it indicate?

Answer 16

pre-core antigen

indicates high transmissibility

Question 17

how long is the incubation period usually for HBV?

Answer 17

up to 6 months

Question 18

what is a defining feature of chronic HBV infection?

Answer 18

no anti HBs

Question 19

what is the main treatment for HBV?

Answer 19

pegylated interferon

Question 20

what are the pre-icteric stages of HBV?

Answer 20

malaise, anorexia, nausea, pain in liver

Question 21

what are the icteric symptoms of HBV?

Answer 21

jaundice and dark urine

Question 22

what type of cells does HCV destroy?

Answer 22

liver cells

Question 23

what are the symptoms of HCV?

Answer 23

usually asymptomatic
fatigue
nausea
weight loss
may progress to cirrhosis

Question 24

what are the five types of malaria?

Answer 24

P.falciparum
P. vivid
P. ovale
P. malariae
P. knowlesi

Question 25

what are the treatments for HCV?

Answer 25

ribavirin and pegylated interferon alpha

sofosbuvir - HCV SPECIFIC