5.8 - HIV Flashcards
(5 cards)
1
Q
After stage 4 of HIV - what happens to HIV and what are the remedies/cures?
A
- high likelihood of developing cancers/infections which can be fatal
- HIV/AIDS is incurable but antiretroviral therapy can reduce replication and most individuals don’t experience symptoms and can’t transmit the virus
2
Q
Stages of HIV and how it develops into AIDS (4 stages):
A
- Stage 1 Transmission:
- HIV is transmitted via direct contact with bodily fluids (e.g. blood or sexual fluids) - from an infected individual - Stage 2 - Acute infection:
- Once HIV enters the body, it rapidly replicates
- causes flu-like symptoms for 2-4 weeks - Stage 3 - Latency period:
- HIV replication drops low for several years or decades
- individual normally experiences no symptoms
- Anti retroviral therapy can prolong this stage for many years - Stage 4 - AIDS development:
- after some years, HIV reactivates, and destroyed T Helper cells
- T cells drops, immune system begins to fail (AIDS)
3
Q
Process of replication
A
- Attachment proteins on the HIV attach to receptors on a helper T cell.
- HIV releases its RNA into the helper T cell.
- Reverse transcriptase converts this RNA into DNA.
- The viral DNA is inserted into the helper T cell’s genome.
- The helper T cell’s DNA is translated to make viral proteins.
- The proteins are used to assemble new HIV particles.
- Fully assembled HIV particles leave the cell in order to infect other cells.
4
Q
How does HIV replicate?
A
uses a host cell (T helper cells mostly) - damages the immune system
5
Q
5 things
What does HIV contain?
A
- genetic material - two single strands of RNA
- enzymes - one of which is reverse transcriptase - allows the virus to convert RNA into DNA
- capsid - a layer of protein molecules that surrounds and protects the genetic material
- envelope - an outer layer made up of phospholipids
- glycoproteins - attachment proteins which help bing to host cells
