HIV

Question 1

What is the structure of HIV?

Answer 1

Membrane envelope(outer layer)
Capsid- protects genetic information
RNA
Glycoprotein (antigens)
Reverse transcriptase enzyme (turns RNA into DNA)

Question 2

What is the first step of HIV replication?

Answer 2

Glycoprotein molecules on the virus surface bind to CD4 receptors on the surface of T helper cells. Allows the envelope surrounding the virus to fuse with the T helper cell membrane.

Question 3

What are the second and third step of HIV replication?

Answer 3

Capsid is released into the cell where it releases RNA and reverse transcriptase. Reverse transcriptase is used to make DNA from the HIV RNA template

Question 4

What are the fourth, fifth and sixth step of HIV replication?

Answer 4

DNA is inserted into the cell’s DNA which gets replicated when cells replicate. DNA used to make HIV RNA and proteins at host ribosomes. Virus particles are assembled which bud off from the cell membrane and go on to infect other cells

Question 5

How can someone catch HIV?

Answer 5

Having unprotected sex with an infected person
Sharing needles with the infected person
mother with HIV giving birth to child or a child drinking mother’s milk

Question 6

What are AIDS?

Answer 6

people who have HIV contract AIDS when their numbers of helper- T cells reach a critical level

Question 7

What is the treatment?

Answer 7

Antiretroviral drugs

Question 8

What are Antiretroviral drugs?

Answer 8

reduce the viral load to an ‘undetectable level’, prevent or slow the replication of the virus in the body by blocking the reverse transcriptase enzyme