HIV/AIDS Flashcards
What is HIV?
A single stranded RNA retrovirus
How dos HIV infect humans?
Infects and replicates within the human immune system using host CD4 cells
What can HIV lead to without treatment?
Destruction of the immune system and AIDS
What was the prevalence of HIV in the UK in 2015?
~101,000
What % of the population of the UK had HIV in 2015?
0.16%
What % of people infected with HIV were unaware of their status?
13%
What % of people with HIV were men?
69%
What proportion of people with HIV are MSM?
Just under half
What cells does HIV replicate within?
CD4
What are CD4 cells also known as?
T helper cells
How does HIV infect a host CD4 cell?
Penetrates cell and empties the contents. The viral RNA is converted to DNA and combines with the host DNA
What enzyme causes HIV RNA to become DNA?
Reverse transcriptase
What enzyme integrates viral DNA into the host DNA in HIV?
Integrase
What happens when the CD4 cell divides in HIV?
Viral DNA is read and viral protein chains are created and push out of the cell retaining some cell membrane to form an immature virus
How does the immature HIV virus develop?
Viral protein chains are cut and assemble to create a working virus
What enzyme cuts the viral proteins in an immature HIV virus?
Protease
What happens to the host CD4 cell when HIV replicates?
It is destroyed
What is seroconversion in HIV?
The process pf producing anti-HIV antibodies during primary infection
What happens to the levels of CD4 cells during seroconversion?
Fall due to initial rapid replication of HIV
How dos HIV infect humans?
Infects and replicates within the human immune system using host CD4 cells
What can HIV lead to without treatment?
Destruction of the immune system and AIDS
How can the clinical features of HIV be divided?
Into stages of infection
What symptoms can be experienced during HIV seroconversion?
Flu-like symptoms
What happens to the levels of CD4 cells during seroconversion?
Fall due to initial rapid replication of HIV
How infectious is the patient during seroconversion?
Highly infectious
What can happen to HIV over the months-years following seroconversion?
Can enter a latent phase
What symptoms do many patients with HIV display after seroconversion?
None
What happens to CD4 levels after seroconversion?
Continue to fall
What happens to HIV viral load after seroconversion?
Increases
What happens to the patient as CD4 levels fall and viral load rises in HIV?
- Become more susceptible to infections
- Increasingly infectious
- Increasingly symptomatic
Over what period does HIV generally develop into AIDS?
10 years
How can HIV be transmitted?
- Unprotected sexual contact
- Sharing needles
- Medical procedures
- Vertical transmission
What types of sexual contact can spread HIV?
- Vaginal
- Anal
- Oral
What medical procedures can transmit HIV?
- Blood products
- Skin grafts
- Organ donation
- Artificial insemination
How can HIV be spread by vertical transmission?
- In-utero
- Childbirth
- Breast feeding
What factors can increase likelihood of contracting HIV when in contact with infectious components?
- Higher viral level
- Concurrent STI’s causing anogenital inflammation
- Breaks in the skin or mucosa