HIV group Discussion 7 & class notes HIV

Question 1

What activities are believed to have allowed HIV to enter the human population?

Answer 1

Hunters-butchering monkeys, and using monkeys as pets
Allowed for
SIV —–> HIV

Question 2

Trace the emergence of the pandemic group of HIV in the human population from non-human primates to it’s probable epicenter

Answer 2

Greater spot nosed monkeys & red capped mangabeys->chimpanzee->human->
Kinshasa (chimpanzee infected human central Africa)

Question 2

Why is Central Africa believe to be the epicenter of HIV pandemic?

Answer 2

All HIV groups are found in Central Africa

Largest population of unclassified strands of HIV

Territory of chimpanzees caring SIV strains similar to HIV-1

“Pure” subtypes of HIV found in Central Africa

Question 4

Why is Central Africa believe to be the epicenter of HIV pandemic?

Answer 4

All HIV groups are found in Central Africa

Largest population of unclassified strands of HIV

Territory of chimpanzees caring SIV strains similar to HIV-1

“Pure” subtypes of HIV found in Central Africa

Oldest known human sample

Question 5

Describe the importance of HIV diversity

Answer 5

All of the following are affected by HIV diversity:

Disease progression and transmission are related to the diversity of HIV

Diagnosis and measurement of viral load

Response to HAART and drug resistance

Immune response

Vaccine development

drug resistance

human response unable to keep up with speed of mutations

Entrance of HIV into human population greatly affected by ability of virus to MUTATE

Question 6

Why is HIV diversity a central issue for vaccine development?

Answer 6

Multiple strains in one individual
Multiple strains in population
Rapid evolution
Generation of escape mutants 
High mutation rate with replication
The ability of a vaccine to deal with all the mutations that arise is a huge challenge

Question 6

what kind of virus is HIV?

Answer 6

retrovirus

Question 7

How is genetic diversity in HIV generated?

Answer 7

Poor replication-inaccurate copying of genetic material

Question 8

how does HIV generate mutations?

Answer 8

poor fidelity of reverse transcriptase (poor proof reader of it’s copy leads to lots of mistakes = mutations)

Question 9

Does HIV have a latency period?

Answer 9

NO (HIV is never latent)

Question 10

what is meant by HIV entered the human population multiple times?

Answer 10

each Group (O,P,N,M) are all separate incidences of the virus crossing from primates to humans

Question 11

Which stain is responsible for the pandemic?

Answer 11

HIV-1 Group M

Question 12

HIV-1 Group M what does the M stand for?

Answer 12

Major

Question 13

what does SIVcpz mean?

SIVgor? SIVrcm?

Answer 13

SIV in chimpanzees
SIV in gorillas
SIV in red capped mangabeys

Question 14

affected/high risk population in US for contracting HIV?
Russia?
Africa?

Answer 14

US -> homosexual sex and IV drug users
Russia-> IV drug users
Africa-> heterosexual sex

Question 15

Has the affected/high risk population in US stayed the same or changed over time?

Answer 15

It has changed over time:

homosexual community -> IV drug users -> hemophiliacs -> everyone/widespread

Question 16

what is the fastest growing group in US for HIV infection?

Answer 16

African American women

Question 17

Factors in HIV emergence

Answer 17

Discovery of new disease

International travel

Mutation of an infectious agent

Question 18

define Antibiotic

Answer 18

a drug that can inhibit the growth or kill microorganisms (almost always for killing bacteria)

Question 19

define antibiotic resistance

Answer 19

the ability of an organism to survive treatment with antibiotics (ability to evade antibiotics)

Question 20

define nosocomial infections

Answer 20

many (but not all) nosocomial infections are infections acquired in healthcare setting (e.g…hospitals, nursing homes)

Question 21

HIV is responsible for how many illnesses in the US per year?

Answer 21

> 2 million

Question 22

history of antibiotics?

Answer 22

discovered by Alexander Flemming - 1928
- he wasn’t able to produce enough to treat anyone

• mass produced penicillin - 1943 (up until then no effective treatment for bacterial infection-except amputation)

Question 23

in general what things do antibiotics target?

Answer 23

something that will inhibit the microorganism w/o affecting host.

things that are different between human and bacteria cells.

Question 24

what is the target of penicillins?

Answer 24

cell wall- disrupt cell wall

Question 25

what is the target of vancomycin?

Answer 25

glycopeptides

Question 26

which antibiotics block protein synthesis?

Answer 26

• aminoclycosides (eg …kanamycin, neomycin, gentamicin)
• macrolides - eg erythromycin
• tetracycline - doxycycyline

Question 27

which antibiotics block DNA replication (by blocking DNA gyrase - unwinding of DNA)

Answer 27

quinolones - eg ciprofloxacin