Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Paper Summary:

The paper explains what the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), how it spreads and how deadly it can be. The paper also discusses the signs and symptoms of HIV infection and the treatment available. Finally, the paper looks at the ongoing research that is focusing on preventing transmission of HIV and further improving treatment.

Outline:
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus
What the HIV Infection is, How it is Spread and How Deadly it is
The Signs and Symptoms of HIV Infection
Treating an HIV Infection
Ongoing Research on HIV

From the Paper:

"The Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects people all over the world. The HIV infection is a preliminary stage of a syndrome that is most popularly known as the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, or AIDS. The HIV-1 is an icosahedral, single stranded diploid RNA retrovirus, a member of the lentivirus family, and is 100-120nm in diameter (Male, Brostoff, Roth & Roitt, 2006). This virus is characterized by its dense, cylindrical core and is surrounded by a lipid envelope. It contains genes that encode for structural and enzymatic proteins. The gag gene encodes for the core protein, pol gene encoders for polymerase/reverse transcriptase, and the env gene encodes for the envelope protein. Invasion by the HIV-1 virus causes lymphocytes to die (Goldman & Ausellio, 2007)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Fauci, A.S., Braunwald, E., Kasper, D.L., Hauser, S.L., Longo, D.L., Jameson, L.J. & Loscalzo, J. (2007). Harrison's principles of internal medicine, 17th ed. USA: McGraw Hill Professional Publishing.
• Goldman, L. & Ausellio, D. (2007). Cecil textbook of medicine, 23rd ed. PA: Saunders Elsevier.
• Hammer, S.M. (2005). "Management of newly diagnosed HIV infection." New England Journal of Medicine, 353: 1702-1710.
• Johnston, M.I. & Fauci, A.S. (2007). "An HIV vaccine - evolving concepts." New England Journal of Medicine, 356: 2073-2081.
• Male, D., Brostoff, J., Roth, D. & Roitt, I. (2006). Immunology, 6th ed. London: Mosby.

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