Question | Answer |
HIV is a member of what family of viruses? | Lentivirus |
What is the name given to HIV at its discovery in 1984? | Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus Type lll (HTLVlll). |
Where is HIV-1 prevalent? | Found worldwide but more prevalent in the US and Europe |
Where is HIV-2 prevalent? | prevalent in Western Africa and countries with historical and commercial ties to that region |
HIV is an obligate virus. What is an obligate virus? | A virus that needs a living host to survive. |
How many copies of HIV are generated and cleared daily during the acute infection period? | 10 billion |
How many CD4 lymphocytes are produced and destroyed daily during the initial phase of the HIV infection? | Nearly 2 billion |
What is seroconversion? | a person is said to have seroconverted when there is development of a detectable level of HIV antibodies found in the blood |
When does seroconversion take place? | 1 to 12 weeks after exposure |
What are the initial symptoms of HIV? | mononucleosis-like or flu-like symptoms, or mild to asymptomatic |
What is the median time between HIV infection and the development of end-stage of HIV disease, or AIDS, in an untreated individual? | 10 - 14 years |
What is the CDC definition for AIDS? | All HIV infected persons with CD4 T-lymphocyte counts <200 cells/mm3 or a CD4 percentage of <14 % |
Does HIV cross the placental barrier? Breast milk? | No, Yes |
What are the four most common modes of HIV transmision? | *Unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse *Contaminated injecting drug equipment *Transmission from mother to child (vertical transmission) *Occupational exposure |
What is the gold standard screening test for HIV that is rapid and sensitive? | ELISA or enzyme immunoassay (EIA) |
What is done if the enzyme immunoassay (EIA) test is positive? | A second, very specific test will be done using the Western Blot. |
What test CONFIRMS the presence of HIV? | Western Blot |
What test is used to measure the progression of the HIV infection? | 'viral load' test that measures the number of viral particles in the blood |
How long does it take after exposure to detect HIV antibodies? | Normally 1-12 weeks (95% |
What are the barriers to HIV prevention? | *Denial; “It won’t happen to me.” *Stereotyping; “It’s only a homosexual disease.” *Fear; potential for social isolation and stigmas. *Cultural and community attitudes |
What is a Retrovirus? | a virus that carries its genetic material in RNA rather than DNA, and it replicates by converting RNA into DNA using the enzyme reverse transcriptase |
What is an Enzyme-linked Immunoabsorbent Assay (ELISA or EIA) test? | a rapid enzyme immunochemical assay method to detect certain bacterial antigens and antibodies; a screening test with high sensitivity |