Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the primary purpose of Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Treatment (HAART) in HIV management?
What is the primary purpose of Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Treatment (HAART) in HIV management?
- To boost the immune system without targeting HIV
- To reduce the viral load to undetectable levels only
- To completely eliminate HIV from the body
- To inhibit multiple steps of the HIV replication cycle (correct)
Which component of the HIV virion is primarily targeted by diagnostic tests?
Which component of the HIV virion is primarily targeted by diagnostic tests?
- Protease
- Envelope glycoproteins (correct)
- Integrase
- Reverse transcriptase
What is a major challenge in developing an effective HIV vaccine?
What is a major challenge in developing an effective HIV vaccine?
- The variability of the HIV virus (correct)
- The lack of knowledge about HIV structures
- The availability of funding for research
- The ability to eliminate immune memory of HIV
During the immune response to HIV infection, which lymphocyte count is often observed to be extremely low?
During the immune response to HIV infection, which lymphocyte count is often observed to be extremely low?
What was a significant finding related to the first reports of an unknown disease linked to HIV in the early 1980s?
What was a significant finding related to the first reports of an unknown disease linked to HIV in the early 1980s?
What is the principal cause of the AIDS pandemic?
What is the principal cause of the AIDS pandemic?
Which enzyme is essential for the replication of HIV, allowing it to convert its RNA into DNA?
Which enzyme is essential for the replication of HIV, allowing it to convert its RNA into DNA?
What significant impact does HIV have on the immune system?
What significant impact does HIV have on the immune system?
Which method is primarily used to diagnose HIV infection?
Which method is primarily used to diagnose HIV infection?
What is a key challenge in developing an effective HIV vaccine?
What is a key challenge in developing an effective HIV vaccine?
In Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Treatment (HAART), which of the following classes of drugs is NOT typically included?
In Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Treatment (HAART), which of the following classes of drugs is NOT typically included?
What facilitates the entry of HIV into CD4+ T cells?
What facilitates the entry of HIV into CD4+ T cells?
Which of the following is a structural gene encoded by the HIV genome?
Which of the following is a structural gene encoded by the HIV genome?
What is the role of CD4 T cells during advanced stages of HIV infection?
What is the role of CD4 T cells during advanced stages of HIV infection?
Why are HIV vaccines particularly challenging to develop?
Why are HIV vaccines particularly challenging to develop?
What is the impact of adhering to antiretroviral therapy (ART)?
What is the impact of adhering to antiretroviral therapy (ART)?
What is a common characteristic of individuals classified as elite controllers in HIV infection?
What is a common characteristic of individuals classified as elite controllers in HIV infection?
What type of test is essential for diagnosing HIV infection?
What type of test is essential for diagnosing HIV infection?
What is one major hurdle in HIV vaccine development post-integration into host DNA?
What is one major hurdle in HIV vaccine development post-integration into host DNA?
Which class of drugs is NOT a target for existing HIV treatments?
Which class of drugs is NOT a target for existing HIV treatments?
What percentage of HIV transmissions occurs in individuals unaware of their HIV-positive status?
What percentage of HIV transmissions occurs in individuals unaware of their HIV-positive status?
Which of the following best describes the longevity of clinical latency in untreated asymptomatic HIV patients?
Which of the following best describes the longevity of clinical latency in untreated asymptomatic HIV patients?
Study Notes
The Silent Spread of an Unknown Disease
- A Danish surgeon working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 1960s developed symptoms including diarrhea, swollen lymph nodes, weight loss, and fatigue
- In 1977, the surgeon returned to Copenhagen in respiratory distress, with low T-cell counts and was diagnosed with Staphylococcus aureus, candidiasis, and pneumonia from Pneumocystis jirovecii.
- The surgeon died and the cause of death was unexplained at the time
- Her stored blood was tested positive for HIV.
Not so Silent Spread of an Unknown Disease
- 1981: the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported a cluster of cases of Kaposi's Sarcoma and Pneumocystis pneumonia among homosexual men in New York City and California.
- A viral sequence from a man residing in the Congo taken in 1959 was found positive for HIV, identifying it as the oldest known case
Zoonotic Origins of HIV/AIDS
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) originated from simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs) that infect African primates
- A transmission event around 1911, involving SIVcpz from chimpanzees in southeastern Cameroon, gave rise to HIV-1 group M
- HIV-1 group M is the primary cause of the global AIDS pandemic
- HIV-1 group M likely transferred from chimpanzees to human hunters via blood-borne transmission
- Currently, approximately 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS worldwide
Discovery of a Novel Human Herpesvirus
- Kaposi's Sarcoma (KS) was a highly stigmatized sign of HIV infection during the peak of the AIDS pandemic.
- In 1994, DNA sequences from skin biopsies of AIDS-KS patients revealed a new human herpesvirus known as Kaposi's Sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV or HHV-8)
HIV Virology: Structure
- HIV is a single-stranded, positive polarity, RNA virus enveloped in a membrane
- HIV replicates by producing DNA from RNA via reverse transcriptase, classifying it as a retrovirus (Group VI).
- Viral DNA integrates into the host's DNA
HIV Virology: Genome
- Three structural genes encode the following:
- Gag: internal proteins including p24 used for serological testing
- Pol: reverse transcriptase, protease and integrase
- Env: gp120/gp41 (attachment)
- Six regulatory genes including Tat, which reduces HLA class I molecules
HIV Virology: Tropism
- HIV glycoproteins gp120 and gp41 interact with the CD4 molecule, leading to infection of CD4+ T cells.
- This results in loss of cellular immunity which leads to opportunistic infections (e.g. Pneumocystis pneumonia).
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Description
Explore the timeline and origins of HIV/AIDS, from its silent spread in the 1960s to the identification of the oldest known case in 1959. This quiz dives into the significant events that shaped the understanding of this epidemic and its zoonotic origins. Test your knowledge on how this global health crisis emerged and evolved over the decades.
