Miscellaneous Flashcards
what is the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS?
- in general more men are infected than women - could be due to the fact that HIV is spread very well by anal intercourse which is very prevalent in male to male sexual activity
- of those diagnosed in the UK, 30% are women
- sub-Saharan Africa remains the most seriously affected
- homosexual (male sex with men (MSM)) and culturally diverse heterosexual population from sub-Saharan Africa are the two largest groups of people living with HIV
- there is increasing HIV transmission in eastern Europe and Middle East where homosexuality is less accepted and driven underground
- majority of all new infections world-wide are 15-24 year olds
who is most at risk for HIV/AIDS?
- men who have sex with men (unprotected - higher risk)
- heterosexual women (unprotected - higher risk)
- IV drug users
- commercial sex workers
- heterosexual men
- truck drivers (tend to use sex industry more)
- migrant workers (tend to use sex industry more)
- uncircumcised men
what are the routes of administration of HIV/AIDS?
- sexual intercourse (vaginal and anal)
- mother to child transmission
- contaminated blood, blood products and organ donation
- contaminated needles
what are features of sexual intercourse (vaginal and anal) as a route of acquisition of HIV/AIDS?
- world-wide, sexual intercourse accounts for the vast majority of infections
- coexistent STIs especially those causing genital ulceration enhance transmission
what are features of mother-to-child transmission as a route of acquisition of HIV/AIDS?
can occur in utero although the majority of infections take place perinatally or via breast milk
what are features of contaminated blood, blood products and organ donation as a route of acquisition of HIV/AIDS?
risk is minimal in developed countries since the introduction of screening
what are features of contaminated needles as a route of acquisition of HIV/AIDS?
major route of transmission of HIV among IV drug users who
share needles and syringes
what type of virus is HIV?
part of the lentivirus group of the retrovirus family
what does the HIV envelope contain?
HIV envelope contains RNA, capsid (encases the genetic material of the virus) and reverse transcriptase
what is the action of reverse transcriptase?
- has the enzyme reverse transcriptase which allows viral RNA to be transcribed into DNA and thence incorporated into the host cell genome using the enzyme integrase
- since reverse transcription is highly error-prone and due to the high rate of viral turnover this leads to considerable genetic variation and a diversity of viral subtypes or clades
what are the different groups of HIV?
- group M (major)
- group N (new)
- group O (outlying)
what are features of group M HIV? where are its subtypes most common?
• most common
• have subtypes or clades ranging from A-K
• subtype A is most common in West and Central Africa
• subtype B is most common in Europe, North America and
Australia
• subtype C is most common in Southern Africa
where does HIV enter the body?
virus enters via mucosa - vagina, rectum or intestines (at delivery or via breastfeeding in infants)
how does HIV spread within the body?
- local infection within a mucosal macrophage or dendritic cell is established
and then spreads to other cells - as these are antigen presenting cells, some will migrate to local lymph nodes to present antigen to T cells - where infection of T helper cells occurs
- HIV targets CD4 T helper cells
what is the function of CD4 T helper cells?
- CD4 T helper cells act as the bodies coordinators in the specific/acquired immune response
- they are responsible for organising, recruiting and facilitating the maturation of B-antibody producing cells and CD8 T killer cells
what happens on presentation of antigen to CD4 cells?
CD4 cells mature into two types of T helper cell
what is the function of T helper 1 cells?
- produces specific interleukins (IL4, 5, 10, 13) that cause the maturation of B lymphocytes into plasma cells
- the plasma cells then produce specific antibodies e.g. IgG etc. against the specific antigen - allows for a more prolonged and effective antibody response
what is the function of T helper 2 cells?
- produces interferon alpha and TNF
- these cytokines activate further CD8 cells, turning them into Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and natural killer (NK) cells
- CTLs then produce then enzyme perforin that directly kills cells with the antigen on or in
- note: IFN alpha is an important cytokine in the bodies defence against TB
what is the HIV envelope glycoprotein?
gp120
what does HIV bind to?
binds, via its gp120 envelope glycoprotein, to CD4 receptors on:
- helper T lymphocytes
- monocytes
- macrophages
- neural cells
what is responsible for HIV entry into cells?
interaction between CD4 and HIV glycoprotein gp120 together with host chemokine CCR5 or CXCR4 co-receptors is responsible for HIV entry into cells
what is gp160 made of?
gp120 and gp41
what is the mechanism of viral replication within CD4 T helper cells?
- glycoproteins on the HIV molecule (gp160 made up of gp120 and gp41) allow it to attach and fuse onto the CD4 and CCR5 receptors
- the viral capsid then enters and enzymes and nucleic acids are uncoated and released
- using reverse transcriptase the single stranded RNA is converted into double stranded DNA
- viral DNA is then integrated into the host cells own DNA by integrase enzyme
- when the infected cell divides the viral DNA is read and transcribed and long chains of viral proteins are made
- viral RNA is spliced and protein chains are cleaved and reassembled by the protease enzyme into individual proteins that combine to form a working virus
- budding occurs where the immature virus pushes out of the cell taking with it some cell membrane of the T helper cell
- immature virus breaks free to undergo more maturation and is then able to infect other CD4 cells
where do infected T cells go once they have been infected by HIV?
- infected T cells then leave the lymph node and infection spills into the blood stream resulting in viraemia and the exponential rise in T cell infection occurs
- replication of HIV in the CD4 T cells results in cell death
what is a key consequence of viraemia?
a key consequence of the viraemia is uncontrolled activation of CD4 T cells
- activated CD4 T cells, unless they receive a non-specific co-stimulatory
signal (usually CD28 (on T cell) binding to CD80 or CD86 on the stimulator), will
undergo activation induced cell death (apoptosis) via Fas ligand upregulation which then bind to Fas receptors leading to the activation of
caspases (cell death enzyme) which then triggers apoptosis and cell death
what happens to infected CD4 T cells?
targeted by an immune response
how are infected CD4 T cells targeted by humoral immunity?
neutralising antibodies against primary isolates are of a low magnitude however due to the fact that the viral envelope glycoprotein is poorly immunogenicity and shows genetic diversity
how are infected CD4 T cells targeted by cell-mediated immunity?
- CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) play a role in the early decline in virus but are incomplete
- HIV escapes from CTL responses through mutations
what are other aspects of immune dysfunction due to HIV infection?
- CD8 T cells show enhanced activation and decreased cytolytic and non-cytolytic function
- B cells show enhanced activation but decreased proliferation resulting in increased non-specific but decreased specific antibody production
- decreased natural killer (NK), neutrophil and macrophage function
what does the resulting cell-mediated immunodeficiency due to HIV lead to?
the resulting cell-mediated immunodeficiency leaves the host open to infections with intracellular pathogens, while coexisting antibody
abnormalities predispose to infections with capsulated bacteria e.g. Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae
what does early T-cell activation in HIV infection lead to?
T-cell activation occurs from the earliest stages of infections and leads to an
increase in the number is susceptible CD4-bearing target cells that can become infected and destroyed
what does T cell deficiency increase susceptibility to?
- viruses such as Herpes virus-CMV
- bacteria such as intracellular mycobacteria and salmonella
- fungi e.g. Yeasts - Candida spp
- parasites such as spore forming cryptosporidia
- malignancies especially Epstein-Barr virus associated lymphoma
- autoimmune disease; rheumatologic or dermatologic due to loss of T-cell regulatory cells
when does someone have AIDS?
- given CD4 T cells’ central role in coordinating adaptive immune responses, it follows that their depletion by HIV infection leads to increased immunosuppression which after a long latent period results in increased infections and other complications i.e Acquired Immune Deficiency (AIDS)
- when the individual has a CD4 count of less than 200 cells per mm3 they are at risk of infections and are said to have AIDS
what is the natural history of HIV infection?
- acute primary infection (seroconversion); 2-6 weeks
- asymptomatic phase/clinical latency; years
- early symptomatic HIV
- AIDS
what occurs in acute primary infection (seroconversion); 2-6 weeks?
- transient immunosuppression and fall in CD4 count, followed by
a gradual rise - acute rise in viral load, then fall to ‘set point’
- accompanied by a transient illness 2-6 weeks after exposure with abrupt onset of non-specific symptoms
- symptoms can be severe for 2 weeks
- illness lasts up to 3 weeks and recovery is usually complete
what non-specific symptoms are seen in acute primary infection (seroconversion)?
• fever • malaise • myalgia (muscle pain) • pharyngitis (sore throat) • maculopapular rash • significant weight loss can occur
what occurs in the asymptomatic phase/clinical latency of HIV?
- progressive loss of CD4 T cells resulting in poor immunity
- asymptomatic so can unknowingly spread infection
- 30% may have persistent generalised lymphadenopathy defined as nodes greater than 1cm diameter and at more than 2 extra-inguinal sites persisting for 3 months or longer
what occurs in early symptomatic HIV?
associated with a rise in viral load and a fall in CD4 count and development of symptoms and signs due to direct HIV effects and immunosuppression
what are examples of early symptomatic conditions in HIV?
• fever (high temperature) • night sweats • diarrhoea • weight loss • minor opportunistic infections: - oral candida - herpes zoster (shingles) - recurrent herpes simplex • this collection of symptoms is known as AIDS-related complex (ARC)
what occurs in AIDS?
- symptoms of immune deficiency with a CD4 below 200
- as CD4 decreases so does immune function - below 250 see signs of infection
what are the timescales of HIV/AIDS?
- HIV→ AIDS: 8 years
- ARC →AIDS: 2 years
- AIDS → death: 2 years (without HAART)
what are AIDS defining infections?
- candidiasis oesophageal/lung (fungal infection)
- extra-pulmonary cryptococcosis
- cryptosporidiosis for more than 1 month
- mycobacterium TB
- persistent herpes simplex (cold sores)
- Pneumocystis jiroveci (carinii) pneumonia
- recurrent bacterial pneumonia
- cytomegalovirus (CMV) in any organ except liver, spleen and lymph nodes
- recurrent salmonella septicaemia
what are AIDS defining neoplasms?
- invasive cervical carcinoma
- Kaposi’s carcinoma
- primary CNS lymphoma
- non-hodgkin’s lymphoma
what is done for a patient with fever, rash and non-specific symptoms for suspected HIV?
- take a sexual history (enquire about protection)
- think of HIV seroconversion illness (acute)
- tell lab to check for antigen
when should HIV be thought of in diagnosis?
- patient with fever, rash and non-specific symptoms
- if you see high protein but low albumin on bloods - this is a sign of something going around blood, could be antibodies but must rule out HIV
- think of testing for HIV when faced with recurrent shingles and candidiasis and any of conditions above
- if taking O2 sats and see normal sats at rest (98%) but then sharp drop in sats after walking (79%) then think pneumocystis pneumonia - HIV related condition so test for it
what are the two markers used to monitor HIV infection?
- CD4 T cell count/μl
- HIV viral load (RNA copies/ml)
- both are important in prognosis
what methods are used to diagnose HIV?
- CD4 cell count and HIV viral load
- detection of IgG antibody to envelope contents
- detection of IgG antibody to p24 (anti-p24)
- genome detection assays
how is detection of IgG antibody to envelope contents used to diagnose HIV infection?
• based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique, which may be confirmed with Western blot assays
• up to 3 months (on average 6 weeks) may elapse from initial infection to antibody detection (serological latency)
• will see a positive result in HIV infection
• these antibodies to HIV have no protective function and persist for life, as will all IgG antibodies, and the anti-HIV antibodies will cross the placenta
• all babies born to HIV-positive women will thus have the antibody at birth
- in this situation anti-HIV antibody is not a reliable marker of active infection; instead use nucleic acid-based assays
how can detection of IgG antibody to p24 (anti-p24) be used to diagnose HIV?
- can be detected from the earliest weeks of infection and through the asymptomatic phase
- it is frequently lost as the disease progresses
how can genome detection assays be used to diagnose HIV?
- nucleic acid-based assays that amplify and test for components of the HIV genome
- used to aid the diagnosis of HIV in the babies of HIV-positive mothers or in conditions where serological tests may be inadequate such as in early infection when antibody may not be present
when should HAART be started?
before CD4 count is less than 200
what is HAART?
highly active antiretroviral therapy
• ideally start before CD4 count is less than 200
• use more than 3 drugs to minimise replication and cross-resistance:
- 2 NRTI + 1 NNRTI
- 2 NRTI + 1PI
• negotiate strict adherence
• aim is to reduce viral load to less than 50 copies/ml and increase CD4 count
what is the aim of HAART?
to reduce viral load to less than 50 copies/ml and increase CD4 count
what is the mechanism of action of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) in HAART?
inhibit the synthesis of DNA by reverse transcription and also act as DNA chain terminators
what are some examples of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI)?
- abacavir
- didanosine
- emtricitabine
what are some side effects of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI)?
- nausea
- mitochondrial dysfunction
- lactic acidosis
- pancreatitis (didanosine)
what is the mechanism of action of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) in HAART?
bind directly to, and inhibit reverse transcriptase
what are some examples of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI)?
- efavirenz
- etravirine
- nevirapine
what are side effects of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors?
- rash
- elevation of liver enzymes
- hallucinations
what is the mechanism of action of protease inhibitors in HAART?
act competitively on HIV enzyme involved in production of functional viral proteins and enzymes
what are examples of protease inhibitors?
- atazanavir
- darunavir
- indinavir
what are side effects of protease inhibitors?
- hyperlipidaemia
- GI intolerance
- lipodystrophy
what is the mechanism of action of fusion inhibitors in HAART?
inhibits fusion of HIV with target cells
what is an example of a fusion inhibitor?
enfuvirtide
what are side effects of fusion inhibitors?
reactions at sub-cutaneous injection sites
what is the mechanism of action of integrase inhibitors in HAART?
prevents the insertion of HIV DNA into the human genome
what is an example of an integrase inhibitor?
raltegravir
what are some side effects of integrase inhibitors?
- GI side-effects
- headache
- myopathy
what are some drugs that are used to treat HIV?
- nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors
- non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors
- protease inhibitors
- fusion inhibitors
- integrase inhibitors
what are some sanctuary sites for HIV?
- genital tract
- central nervous system
- GI system
- bone marrow
- macrophages and microglia
how can HIV be prevented?
- Education on transmission
- increase use of contraception
- reduce sexual violence since violence increases risk of mucosal surface breach
- male circumcision reduces risk of transmission by 60%
- give IV drug users clean needles