HIV - Infection control Flashcards
How is HIV primarily transmitted
Sexual intercourse
When is HIV transmission at its highest likeliness
In the first month of infection or when newly infected individual is asymptomatic
Characteristics of primary HIV infection illness
- Asymptomatic
2. Unaware of infection
Why does HIV develop resistance to immune system
Because it mutates every time it reproduces
What are retroviruses
Enveloped viruses
What are the four major features of HIV
- Transmitted through sexual intercourse
- Remains inactive for a long time (carries on spreading it)
- Bad at reproducing itself accurately (mutations 50% of the time)
Describe the classification of HIV
- Retroviridiae -> Orthoretroviridae -> Lentivirus -> Primate Lentivirus group -> HIV -1 and HIV-2
What is reverse transcription
Viruses have reverse transcriptase enzymes which can turn their viral RNA into DNA when they take over host
What is a special feature of the lentivirus
Lenti = slow
Lentivirus has a SLOW incubation period
Did HIV-1 and 2 come from the same source
No, from different sources
What are the three types of HIV virus found in the world
M (main)
O (Outlying)
N (new)
What are the main sub-groups of M, O and N
CLADES
Clade B - predominate in Europe and USA
Clade A - west central africa
Clade C - South africa
Why is the acknowledge of clades important
Because different treatments may be required for treating the different clades (may only work for one clade and not another)
Define attachment
Viral and cell receptors
Define cell entry
Only central viral core carries nucleic acid and some associated proteins enter host cell
Describe the interaction of viruses
Use cell materials for replication
How do viruses replicate
Localise in nucleus, cytoplasm or both: production of progeny viral nucleic acid and proteins
Describe the assembly of viruses
Occurs in nucleus or cell membrane or cytoplasm
How are viruses released from a cell
Bursting open or exocytosis from the cell over time (latter is HIV)
Role of CD4
Recruits and facilitates maturation of B antibodies producing cells and T CD8 killer cells