HIV

Question 1

What are the 4 enzymes in the HIV retrovirus core?

Answer 1

Reverse Transcriptase
RNAse H
Integrase
Protease

Question 2

What are the best immunegens for HIV vaccination?

Answer 2

GP120, GP41

Question 3

Are virion RNA genomes single stranded or diploid?

Answer 3

Diploid

Question 4

Protease inhibitors inhibit which step of the HIV lifecycle?

Answer 4

Maturation

Only the mature form is infectious

Question 5

What defines a cell that is latently infected with HIV?

Answer 5

The cells have integrated provirus DNA

Question 6

What defines a cell that is productively infected with HIV?

Answer 6

The proviral DNA is actively being transcribed. Viruses can mature, bud, and egress

Question 7

Variability in which proteins of HIV determine the tropism for macrophages and CD4+ T cells?

Answer 7

Glycoproteins GP120 and GP41.

The infection generally begins with a tropism for macrophages and advances

Question 8

Describe the acute infection with HIV.

Answer 8

Mono-like symptom. Observed about 3 weeks after the initial infection. Fever, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes.

T-cell levels drop, rebound, but rarely reach pre-infection levels.

Question 9

How long does the clinical latency period of HIV last?

Answer 9

8-12 years

It is NOT a virologic latency- live infectious virus is easily detectable in the blood

Question 10

When do AIDS related symptoms occur?

Answer 10

When CD4 counts drop below 350

Severe symptoms occur when the CD4+ count drops below 200

Question 11

What are the two classes of drugs used in HAART therapy?

Answer 11

Reverse transcriptase inhibitors

Protease inhibitors

Question 12

What disease is HTLV associated with?

Answer 12

T cell leukemias

20 year clinical latency between infection and onset of disease