Materiały źródłowe

• #1 HIV and AIDS – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf

  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534860/

  HIV is part of the Retroviridae family in the Lentivirus genus. The virus mainly targets CD4+ T-lymphocyte helper cells, leading to extreme immune suppression with a continuous loss of cells. This suppression weakens the immune system and causes many clinical manifestations. Untreated HIV eventually progresses to AIDS. At this stage, the immune system cannot prevent infections, resulting in death due to opportunistic infections. Two main types of HIV include HIV-1 and HIV-2. Although their genomes are structurally similar, they diverge significantly at the amino acid level. The 2 viruses result from 2 different zoonotic transmissions of simian immunodeficiency viruses and, as a result, have substantial differences in their severity, transmissibility, and prognosis. Note that HIV-1 and HIV-2 are only 60% identical at the amino acid level and have a mere 48% identity similarity at the nucleotide level.

• #2 About HIV | HIV | CDC

  https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/about/index.html

  HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). […] Once people get HIV, they have it for life. But proper medical care can control the virus. […] HIV treatment reduces the amount of HIV in the blood (viral load). HIV treatment can make the viral load so low that a test can’t detect it (undetectable viral load). […] When people with HIV don’t get treatment, they typically progress through three stages. But HIV treatment can slow or prevent progression of the disease. […] People receive an AIDS diagnosis when their CD4 cell count drops below 200 cells per milliliter of blood, or they develop certain illnesses (sometimes called opportunistic infections).

• #3 HIV/AIDS – Wikipedia

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS

  HIV made the jump from other primates to humans in west-central Africa in the early-to-mid-20th century. AIDS was first recognized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1981 and its cause—HIV infection—was identified in the early part of the decade. […] HIV is the cause of the spectrum of disease known as HIV/AIDS. HIV is a retrovirus that primarily infects components of the human immune system such as CD4+ T cells, macrophages and dendritic cells. It directly and indirectly destroys CD4+ T cells. […] Ultimately, HIV causes AIDS by depleting CD4+ T cells. This weakens the immune system and allows opportunistic infections. T cells are essential to the immune response and without them, the body cannot fight infections or kill cancerous cells. The mechanism of CD4+ T cell depletion differs in the acute and chronic phases. […] The primary causes of death from HIV/AIDS are opportunistic infections and cancer, both of which are frequently the result of the progressive failure of the immune system. Risk of cancer appears to increase once the CD4 count is below 500/L.

• #4

  https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hiv-aids

  HIV is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) occurs at the most advanced stage of infection. […] HIV targets the body’s white blood cells, weakening the immune system. This makes it easier to get sick with diseases like tuberculosis, infections and some cancers. […] HIV can be prevented and treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART). Untreated HIV can progress to AIDS, often after many years. […] HIV causes other infections to get worse, such as hepatitis C, hepatitis B and mpox. […] There is no cure for HIV infection. It is treated with antiretroviral drugs, which stop the virus from replicating in the body. […] Current antiretroviral therapy (ART) does not cure HIV infection but allows a person’s immune system to get stronger. This helps them to fight other infections. […] Advanced HIV disease remains a persistent problem in the HIV response.

• #5 Etiology of HIV: Where it originated and how it infects the body

  https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/etiology-hiv

  HIV came from a type of virus in chimpanzees called the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). It likely spread to humans after they came into contact with the blood carrying the infection after hunting chimpanzees for food. […] This article looks into the etiology of HIV. It also looks at the history of HIV and how it causes infection in the body. […] The CDC states that humans most likely contracted SIV after coming into contact with blood carrying the infection after hunting the chimpanzees for meat. […] HIV is a type of virus that causes changes to the cells in the persons body. The changes to the cells cause the altered cells to produce more of the virus, which can eventually cause an individual to lose immune system functioning.

• #6 1. Part I: Etiology and Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS | ATrain Education

  https://www.atrainceu.com/content/1-part-i-etiology-and-epidemiology-hivaids-0

  Since the human immunodeficiency virus was identified in 1983, researchers have worked to pinpoint the origin of the virus. In 1999 an international team of researchers reported that they discovered the origins of HIV-1, the predominant strain of HIV in the developed world. A subspecies of chimpanzees native to West Equatorial Africa was identified as the original source of the virus. Researchers believe that HIV-1 was introduced into the human population when hunters became exposed to infected blood. The transmission of HIV was driven from Africa by migration, housing, travel, sexual practices, drug use, war, and economics, which affect both Africa and the entire world. […] Epidemiologists try to discover why a disease develops in some people and not in others. Clinically, AIDS was first recognized in the United States, including the State of Washington, in 1981.

• #7 What is HIV/AIDS? | doh

  https://dchealth.dc.gov/page/what-hivaids

  HIV is the human immunodeficiency virus. It is the virus that can lead to acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS. […] HIV damages a persons body by destroying specific blood cells, called CD4+ T cells, which are crucial to helping the body fight diseases. […] The earliest known case of infection with HIV-1 in a human was detected in a blood sample collected in 1959 from a man in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (How he became infected is not known.) Genetic analysis of this blood sample suggested that HIV-1 may have stemmed from a single virus in the late 1940s or early 1950s. […] In 1983, scientists discovered the virus that causes AIDS. The virus was at first named HTLV-III/LAV (human T-cell lymphotropic virus-type III/lymphadenopathy-associated virus) by an international scientific committee. This name was later changed to HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).

• #8 What is HIV/AIDS? | doh

  https://dchealth.dc.gov/page/what-hivaids

  HIV is the human immunodeficiency virus. It is the virus that can lead to acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS. […] HIV damages a persons body by destroying specific blood cells, called CD4+ T cells, which are crucial to helping the body fight diseases. […] The earliest known case of infection with HIV-1 in a human was detected in a blood sample collected in 1959 from a man in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (How he became infected is not known.) Genetic analysis of this blood sample suggested that HIV-1 may have stemmed from a single virus in the late 1940s or early 1950s. […] In 1983, scientists discovered the virus that causes AIDS. The virus was at first named HTLV-III/LAV (human T-cell lymphotropic virus-type III/lymphadenopathy-associated virus) by an international scientific committee. This name was later changed to HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).

• #9 AIDS | United Nations

  https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/aids

  In June 1981, scientists in the United States reported the first clinical evidence of a disease that would later become known as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. Its cause, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), was identified in 1983. […] HIV is found in the bodily fluids of a person who is living with HIVblood, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk. […] It can be transmitted through unprotected sexual contact. […] It can spread from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding if the mother is living with HIV. […] The world has halted and reversed the spread of HIV. […] The epidemic has been forced into decline. […] Now the response is going one step furtherending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

• #10 HIV and AIDS – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf

  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534860/

  HIV is part of the Retroviridae family in the Lentivirus genus. The virus mainly targets CD4+ T-lymphocyte helper cells, leading to extreme immune suppression with a continuous loss of cells. This suppression weakens the immune system and causes many clinical manifestations. Untreated HIV eventually progresses to AIDS. At this stage, the immune system cannot prevent infections, resulting in death due to opportunistic infections. Two main types of HIV include HIV-1 and HIV-2. Although their genomes are structurally similar, they diverge significantly at the amino acid level. The 2 viruses result from 2 different zoonotic transmissions of simian immunodeficiency viruses and, as a result, have substantial differences in their severity, transmissibility, and prognosis. Note that HIV-1 and HIV-2 are only 60% identical at the amino acid level and have a mere 48% identity similarity at the nucleotide level.

• #11 HIV and AIDS – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf

  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534860/

  HIV-1 causes most infections, with HIV-2 accounting for only 1 to 2 million infections. The prevalence of HIV-2 exceeds 1% of infections only in West Africa, although infections occur less commonly on all continents, particularly in cases with colonial or other ties to the area. […] HIV is a significant public health issue worldwide.

• #12 HIV Infection and AIDS: Practice Essentials, Background, Pathophysiology

  https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/211316-overview

  HIV disease is caused by infection with HIV-1 or HIV-2, both of which cause very similar conditions. They differ in transmission and progression risks. […] Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a blood-borne virus typically transmitted via sexual intercourse, shared intravenous drug paraphernalia, and during the birth process or via human milk (vertical transmission). HIV disease is caused by infection with HIV-1 or HIV-2, which are retroviruses in the Retroviridae family, Lentivirus genus. […] HIV-1 probably originated from one or more cross-species transfers from chimpanzees in central Africa. […] HIV-2 is closely related to viruses that infect sooty mangabeys in western Africa. […] HIV-2 carries a slightly lower risk for transmission, and HIV-2 infection tends to progress more slowly to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). This may be due to a less-aggressive infection rather than a specific property of the virus itself.

• #13 HIV Infection and AIDS: Practice Essentials, Background, Pathophysiology

  https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/211316-overview

  HIV disease is caused by infection with HIV-1 or HIV-2, both of which cause very similar conditions. They differ in transmission and progression risks. […] Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a blood-borne virus typically transmitted via sexual intercourse, shared intravenous drug paraphernalia, and during the birth process or via human milk (vertical transmission). HIV disease is caused by infection with HIV-1 or HIV-2, which are retroviruses in the Retroviridae family, Lentivirus genus. […] HIV-1 probably originated from one or more cross-species transfers from chimpanzees in central Africa. […] HIV-2 is closely related to viruses that infect sooty mangabeys in western Africa. […] HIV-2 carries a slightly lower risk for transmission, and HIV-2 infection tends to progress more slowly to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). This may be due to a less-aggressive infection rather than a specific property of the virus itself.

• #14 HIV – Wikipedia

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV

  HIV-2 is much less pathogenic than HIV-1 and is restricted in its worldwide distribution to West Africa. The adoption of „accessory genes” by HIV-2 and its more promiscuous pattern of co-receptor usage (including CD4-independence) may assist the virus in its adaptation to avoid innate restriction factors present in host cells. Adaptation to use normal cellular machinery to enable transmission and productive infection has also aided the establishment of HIV-2 replication in humans. A survival strategy for any infectious agent is not to kill its host, but ultimately become a commensal organism. Having achieved a low pathogenicity, over time, variants that are more successful at transmission will be selected.

• #15 HIV and AIDS – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf

  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534860/

  HIV is part of the Retroviridae family in the Lentivirus genus. The virus mainly targets CD4+ T-lymphocyte helper cells, leading to extreme immune suppression with a continuous loss of cells. This suppression weakens the immune system and causes many clinical manifestations. Untreated HIV eventually progresses to AIDS. At this stage, the immune system cannot prevent infections, resulting in death due to opportunistic infections. Two main types of HIV include HIV-1 and HIV-2. Although their genomes are structurally similar, they diverge significantly at the amino acid level. The 2 viruses result from 2 different zoonotic transmissions of simian immunodeficiency viruses and, as a result, have substantial differences in their severity, transmissibility, and prognosis. Note that HIV-1 and HIV-2 are only 60% identical at the amino acid level and have a mere 48% identity similarity at the nucleotide level.

• #16 HIV and AIDS – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf

  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534860/

  HIV is part of the Retroviridae family in the Lentivirus genus. The virus mainly targets CD4+ T-lymphocyte helper cells, leading to extreme immune suppression with a continuous loss of cells. This suppression weakens the immune system and causes many clinical manifestations. Untreated HIV eventually progresses to AIDS. At this stage, the immune system cannot prevent infections, resulting in death due to opportunistic infections. Two main types of HIV include HIV-1 and HIV-2. Although their genomes are structurally similar, they diverge significantly at the amino acid level. The 2 viruses result from 2 different zoonotic transmissions of simian immunodeficiency viruses and, as a result, have substantial differences in their severity, transmissibility, and prognosis. Note that HIV-1 and HIV-2 are only 60% identical at the amino acid level and have a mere 48% identity similarity at the nucleotide level.

• #17 HIV – Wikipedia

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV

  The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of Lentivirus (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive. Without treatment, the average survival time after infection with HIV is estimated to be 9 to 11 years, depending on the HIV subtype. […] In most cases, HIV is a sexually transmitted infection and occurs by contact with or transfer of blood, pre-ejaculate, semen, and vaginal fluids. Non-sexual transmission can occur from an infected mother to her infant during pregnancy, during childbirth by exposure to her blood or vaginal fluid, and through breast milk. […] HIV infects vital cells in the human immune system, such as helper T cells (specifically CD4+ T cells), macrophages, and dendritic cells. HIV infection leads to low levels of CD4+ T cells through a number of mechanisms, including pyroptosis of abortively infected T cells, apoptosis of uninfected bystander cells, direct viral killing of infected cells, and killing of infected CD4+ T cells by CD8+ cytotoxic lymphocytes that recognize infected cells. When CD4+ T cell numbers decline below a critical level, cell-mediated immunity is lost, and the body becomes progressively more susceptible to opportunistic infections, leading to the development of AIDS.

• #18 HIV/AIDS: Overview and More

  https://www.verywellhealth.com/hiv-aids-4014705

  Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is spread through contact with infected blood, semen, and vaginal fluids. […] Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections can be prevented through abstinence, not sharing needles, limiting your number of sexual partners, and using condoms correctly every time you have sex. […] An antiretroviral (ARV) is a type of medication used to prevent a retrovirus, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), from replicating. […] CD4 cells, also known as CD4 T lymphocyte and helper T cells, are a type of lymphocyte that helps coordinate the immune response by stimulating other immune cells. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacks these cells, weakening the immune system. […] Immunodeficiency is the inability to produce an adequate immune response due to an absence of antibodies, immune cells, or both. Immunodeficiency can be primary, meaning you are born with it, or secondary, which develops as a response to exposure to a disease like HIV or an accident or operation that damages the spleen. […] Life cycle refers to the seven steps HIV follows to reproduce: binding, fusion, reverse transcription, integration, replication, assembly, and budding. […] A retrovirus is a ribonucleic acid (RNA)-based virus that uses an enzyme called reverse transcriptase to convert RNA into DNA.

• #19 HIV Infection and AIDS

  https://www.atsu.edu/faculty/chamberlain/website/lectures/lecture/aids.htm

  HIV binds with glycoprotein 120 (gp120) to CD4 T cells in the lymph nodes and uses gp41 to enter the host cells. […] T cell tropic HIV (T-tropic HIV; HIV-1 X4 virus) requires CD4 and CXCR4 host-cell receptors to infect the host cell. […] Mucosal surface tropic HIV (M-tropic HIV; HIV-1 R5 virus) requires CD4 and CCR5 host-cell receptors to infect the host cell. […] The ability to produce antibodies in response to an infection is reduced, making bacterial infections more common. […] Reservoirs of HIV infection are established early in macrophages and resting T cells during mucosal infection. […] A new strain of HIV-1 has been reported in patients in Cuba that rapidly progresses to AIDS. After infection with this HIV-1 CRF 19_cpx strain patients progress to AIDS in about 3 years without treatment.

• #20 HIV Infection and AIDS: Practice Essentials, Background, Pathophysiology

  https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/211316-overview

  The specific details of the disease process that leads to AIDS are not fully understood despite considerable progress in the virology of HIV and the immunology of the human host, much of which has been driven by the urge to better understand AIDS. […] There is a specific decline in the CD4 helper T cells, resulting in inversion of the normal CD4/CD8 T-cell ratio and dysregulation of B-cell antibody production. […] Direct cytotoxic effects of viral replication likely are not the primary cause of CD4 T-cell loss; a significant bystander effect likely is secondary to T-cell apoptosis as part of immune hyperactivation in response to the chronic infection. […] Regardless of the cause for the disruption, a loss of thymic replacements in the face of an induced state of immune activation and T-cell loss seems to be a key component of the mechanism by which HIV narrows the T-cell repertoire and progresses to AIDS.

• #21 HIV/AIDS: Overview and More

  https://www.verywellhealth.com/hiv-aids-4014705

  Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is spread through contact with infected blood, semen, and vaginal fluids. […] Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections can be prevented through abstinence, not sharing needles, limiting your number of sexual partners, and using condoms correctly every time you have sex. […] An antiretroviral (ARV) is a type of medication used to prevent a retrovirus, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), from replicating. […] CD4 cells, also known as CD4 T lymphocyte and helper T cells, are a type of lymphocyte that helps coordinate the immune response by stimulating other immune cells. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacks these cells, weakening the immune system. […] Immunodeficiency is the inability to produce an adequate immune response due to an absence of antibodies, immune cells, or both. Immunodeficiency can be primary, meaning you are born with it, or secondary, which develops as a response to exposure to a disease like HIV or an accident or operation that damages the spleen. […] Life cycle refers to the seven steps HIV follows to reproduce: binding, fusion, reverse transcription, integration, replication, assembly, and budding. […] A retrovirus is a ribonucleic acid (RNA)-based virus that uses an enzyme called reverse transcriptase to convert RNA into DNA.

• #22 HIV and AIDS | New Scientist

  https://www.newscientist.com/definition/hiv-and-aids/

  The virus could have spread to humans who were hunting, butchering or consuming bush meat. […] There have been four independent transmission events from apes to humans, which have resulted in four different types of HIV, called strains. […] The most common strain, called HIV-1 group M, accounts for around 95 per cent of infections worldwide. […] HIV incorporates its DNA into the DNA of every cell it infects, meaning the virus cannot be completely eliminated from the body. […] Therefore antiretroviral therapy is not a cure, and people with HIV are advised to continue taking antiretroviral therapy to prevent the virus from making more copies of itself and infecting more cells. […] Although there is no cure for HIV, several people have been functionally cured of the virus by receiving bone marrow transplants from people who are naturally resistant to HIV infection.

• #23 HIV – Wikipedia

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV

  The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of Lentivirus (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive. Without treatment, the average survival time after infection with HIV is estimated to be 9 to 11 years, depending on the HIV subtype. […] In most cases, HIV is a sexually transmitted infection and occurs by contact with or transfer of blood, pre-ejaculate, semen, and vaginal fluids. Non-sexual transmission can occur from an infected mother to her infant during pregnancy, during childbirth by exposure to her blood or vaginal fluid, and through breast milk. […] HIV infects vital cells in the human immune system, such as helper T cells (specifically CD4+ T cells), macrophages, and dendritic cells. HIV infection leads to low levels of CD4+ T cells through a number of mechanisms, including pyroptosis of abortively infected T cells, apoptosis of uninfected bystander cells, direct viral killing of infected cells, and killing of infected CD4+ T cells by CD8+ cytotoxic lymphocytes that recognize infected cells. When CD4+ T cell numbers decline below a critical level, cell-mediated immunity is lost, and the body becomes progressively more susceptible to opportunistic infections, leading to the development of AIDS.

• #24 HIV Infection and AIDS

  https://www.atsu.edu/faculty/chamberlain/website/lectures/lecture/aids.htm

  HIV binds with glycoprotein 120 (gp120) to CD4 T cells in the lymph nodes and uses gp41 to enter the host cells. […] T cell tropic HIV (T-tropic HIV; HIV-1 X4 virus) requires CD4 and CXCR4 host-cell receptors to infect the host cell. […] Mucosal surface tropic HIV (M-tropic HIV; HIV-1 R5 virus) requires CD4 and CCR5 host-cell receptors to infect the host cell. […] The ability to produce antibodies in response to an infection is reduced, making bacterial infections more common. […] Reservoirs of HIV infection are established early in macrophages and resting T cells during mucosal infection. […] A new strain of HIV-1 has been reported in patients in Cuba that rapidly progresses to AIDS. After infection with this HIV-1 CRF 19_cpx strain patients progress to AIDS in about 3 years without treatment.

• #25 HIV Infection and AIDS

  https://www.atsu.edu/faculty/chamberlain/website/lectures/lecture/aids.htm

  HIV binds with glycoprotein 120 (gp120) to CD4 T cells in the lymph nodes and uses gp41 to enter the host cells. […] T cell tropic HIV (T-tropic HIV; HIV-1 X4 virus) requires CD4 and CXCR4 host-cell receptors to infect the host cell. […] Mucosal surface tropic HIV (M-tropic HIV; HIV-1 R5 virus) requires CD4 and CCR5 host-cell receptors to infect the host cell. […] The ability to produce antibodies in response to an infection is reduced, making bacterial infections more common. […] Reservoirs of HIV infection are established early in macrophages and resting T cells during mucosal infection. […] A new strain of HIV-1 has been reported in patients in Cuba that rapidly progresses to AIDS. After infection with this HIV-1 CRF 19_cpx strain patients progress to AIDS in about 3 years without treatment.

• #26 HIV and AIDS | New Scientist

  https://www.newscientist.com/definition/hiv-and-aids/

  HIV infects cells by attaching to a protein on their surface, called CCR5. […] Some people have a genetic mutation that changes the shape of this protein, meaning HIV can no longer attach to their cells, and these individuals are naturally resistant to infection. […] Development of a universal HIV vaccine has so far been unsuccessful, because of the ability of the virus to constantly mutate and change the way it appears to the body’s immune system.

• #27 HIV and AIDS – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf

  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534860/

  HIV is transmitted through various body fluids, such as blood, amniotic fluid, breast milk, semen, pre-ejaculate, rectal fluids, and vaginal fluids. HIV can be transmitted through sexual contact, during pregnancy and delivery, and through fomites, such as reusable medical equipment or syringes. […] HIV imposes high costs on both patients and the healthcare system. Infection with HIV increases the risk of chronic disease, particularly cardiac and neurological. Although ART delays disease progress, treatment does not cure HIV, causes adverse effects, and requires consistent, prolonged connection to the healthcare system. […] The vast majority of new HIV cases worldwide occur from sexual contact. Most of these infections are transmitted through heterosexual contact due to the high number of infections in Africa, where this mode of transmission is dominant. Most new HIV diagnoses in most other regions of the world occur in men who have sex with men.

• #28 HIV/AIDS Information | Mount Sinai – New York

  https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/diseases-conditions/hiv-aids

  Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). When a person becomes infected with HIV, the virus attacks and weakens the immune system. As the immune system weakens, the person is at risk for getting life-threatening infections and cancers. When that happens, the illness is called AIDS. Once a person has the virus, it stays inside the body for life. […] The virus is spread (transmitted) person-to-person through certain body fluids: Blood, Semen and preseminal fluid, Rectal fluids, Vaginal fluids, Breast milk. […] HIV can be spread if these fluids come in contact with mucous membranes (inside of the mouth, penis, vagina, rectum), damaged tissue (tissue that has been cut or scraped), or the blood stream by injection. […] In the United States, HIV is mainly spread through vaginal or anal sex without using a condom with someone who has HIV who is not taking medicines to prevent or treat HIV.

• #29 HIV and AIDS – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf

  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534860/

  HIV is transmitted through various body fluids, such as blood, amniotic fluid, breast milk, semen, pre-ejaculate, rectal fluids, and vaginal fluids. HIV can be transmitted through sexual contact, during pregnancy and delivery, and through fomites, such as reusable medical equipment or syringes. […] HIV imposes high costs on both patients and the healthcare system. Infection with HIV increases the risk of chronic disease, particularly cardiac and neurological. Although ART delays disease progress, treatment does not cure HIV, causes adverse effects, and requires consistent, prolonged connection to the healthcare system. […] The vast majority of new HIV cases worldwide occur from sexual contact. Most of these infections are transmitted through heterosexual contact due to the high number of infections in Africa, where this mode of transmission is dominant. Most new HIV diagnoses in most other regions of the world occur in men who have sex with men.

• #30

  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hiv-and-aids/causes/

  In the UK, most cases of HIV are caused by having sex with a person who has HIV without using a condom. […] Most people diagnosed with HIV in the UK acquire the virus through unprotected vaginal or anal sex. […] People who are at higher risk of becoming infected with HIV include: people with a current or previous partner with HIV, people with a current or previous partner who is from an area with high HIV rates, people who are from an area with high HIV rates, people who engage in chemsex (using drugs to help or enhance sex), men who have unprotected sex with men, women who have unprotected sex with men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs and share equipment, people who have unprotected sex with somebody who has injected drugs and shared equipment, people who share sex toys with someone infected with HIV, people with a history of sexually transmitted infections, hepatitis B or hepatitis C, people who have had multiple sexual partners, people who have been raped, people who have received a blood transfusion or other risk-prone procedures in countries that do not have strong screening for HIV, healthcare workers who could accidentally prick themselves with an infected needle but this risk is extremely low, babies born from a parent with untreated HIV.

• #31 HIV and AIDS: Causes, symptoms, treatment, and more

  https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/17131

  HIV is transmitted when bodily fluids containing the virus are shared between people, including: blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, vaginal fluids, rectal fluids, breast milk. […] HIV can be transmitted through: anal or vaginal intercourse, sharing needles, such as for tattooing or injecting drugs, pregnancy, breastfeeding. […] If a person has undetectable levels of HIV, the virus cannot be sexually transmitted to another person. […] HIV destroys the bodys white blood cells and reduces its ability to fight off other infections and diseases. If left untreated, HIV can lead to severe complications and develop into stage 3 HIV, which is life threatening. […] If someone with HIV does not receive treatment, possibly because they are unaware they have HIV, the disease can progress to stage 3 HIV, or AIDS. A person with stage 3 HIV is prone to a range of infections and other health issues that can be severe and life threatening.

• #32 HIV/AIDS Information | Mount Sinai – New York

  https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/diseases-conditions/hiv-aids

  Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). When a person becomes infected with HIV, the virus attacks and weakens the immune system. As the immune system weakens, the person is at risk for getting life-threatening infections and cancers. When that happens, the illness is called AIDS. Once a person has the virus, it stays inside the body for life. […] The virus is spread (transmitted) person-to-person through certain body fluids: Blood, Semen and preseminal fluid, Rectal fluids, Vaginal fluids, Breast milk. […] HIV can be spread if these fluids come in contact with mucous membranes (inside of the mouth, penis, vagina, rectum), damaged tissue (tissue that has been cut or scraped), or the blood stream by injection. […] In the United States, HIV is mainly spread through vaginal or anal sex without using a condom with someone who has HIV who is not taking medicines to prevent or treat HIV.

• #33

  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hiv-and-aids/causes/

  In the UK, most cases of HIV are caused by having sex with a person who has HIV without using a condom. […] Most people diagnosed with HIV in the UK acquire the virus through unprotected vaginal or anal sex. […] People who are at higher risk of becoming infected with HIV include: people with a current or previous partner with HIV, people with a current or previous partner who is from an area with high HIV rates, people who are from an area with high HIV rates, people who engage in chemsex (using drugs to help or enhance sex), men who have unprotected sex with men, women who have unprotected sex with men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs and share equipment, people who have unprotected sex with somebody who has injected drugs and shared equipment, people who share sex toys with someone infected with HIV, people with a history of sexually transmitted infections, hepatitis B or hepatitis C, people who have had multiple sexual partners, people who have been raped, people who have received a blood transfusion or other risk-prone procedures in countries that do not have strong screening for HIV, healthcare workers who could accidentally prick themselves with an infected needle but this risk is extremely low, babies born from a parent with untreated HIV.

• #34 HIV/AIDS – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic

  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hiv-aids/symptoms-causes/syc-20373524

  Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), is an ongoing, also called chronic, condition. It’s caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, also called HIV. […] HIV is caused by a virus. It can spread through sexual contact, shooting of illicit drugs or use of shared needles, and contact with infected blood. It also can spread from parent to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding. […] You can have an HIV infection with few or no symptoms for years before it turns into AIDS. AIDS is diagnosed when the CD4 T cell count falls below 200 or you have a complication you get only if you have AIDS, such as a serious infection or cancer.

• #35 What Is the Main Cause of HIV? Symptoms & Treatment

  https://www.emedicinehealth.com/what_is_the_main_cause_of_hiv/article_em.htm

  A person may become infected with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) by having unprotected sex with an HIV-infected person (vaginal, anal, oral sex) and sharing needles or syringes with a person infected with HIV. […] HIV infection is caused by exposure to the human immunodeficiency virus. The virus is transmitted via blood or through sexual intercourse and exposure to bodily fluids (such as semen or vaginal fluids) from a person with HIV. […] HIV infection can occur if a person: Has unprotected sex (without using a condom) with a person who has HIV. […] This is the main way people become infected with HIV. […] A pregnant woman can transmit HIV to her baby during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding. […] HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system, which is responsible for fighting infections. […] Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is the late stage of HIV infection.

• #36

  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hiv-and-aids/causes/

  If you received a blood transfusion or blood products before 1996, there’s a chance you may have been infected with HIV. […] HIV infects the immune system, causing progressive damage and eventually making it unable to fight off infections. […] The virus attaches itself to immune system cells called CD4 lymphocyte cells, which protect the body against various bacteria, viruses and other germs.

• #37

  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hiv-and-aids/

  HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that damages the cells in your immune system and weakens your ability to fight everyday infections and disease. […] AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is the name used to describe a number of potentially life-threatening infections and illnesses that happen when your immune system has been severely damaged by the HIV virus. […] HIV is found in the body fluids of an infected person. This includes semen, vaginal and anal fluids, blood and breast milk. […] The most common way of getting HIV in the UK is through having anal or vaginal sex without a condom. […] Other ways of getting HIV include: sharing needles, syringes or other injecting equipment; transmission from mother to baby during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding. […] Antiretroviral medicines are used to treat HIV. They work by stopping the virus replicating in the body, allowing the immune system to repair itself and preventing further damage.

• #38 HIV/AIDS in pregnant women and infants: MedlinePlus Medical EncyclopediaLock

  https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007689.htm

  Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the virus that causes AIDS. When a person becomes infected with HIV, the virus attacks and weakens the immune system. As the immune system weakens, the person is at risk of getting life-threatening infections and cancers. When that happens, the illness is called AIDS. […] Most children with HIV get the virus when it passes from an HIV-positive mother to their child. This can occur during pregnancy, childbirth, or when breastfeeding. […] Only blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk have been shown to transmit infection to others. […] The risk of a mother transmitting HIV during pregnancy or during labor is low for mothers identified and treated with ART early in pregnancy. When treated, the chance of her baby being infected is less than 1%. […] If a woman’s HIV status is not found until the time of labor, ART can reduce the rate of infection in infants to about 10%.

• #39 HIV/AIDS in pregnant women and infants: MedlinePlus Medical EncyclopediaLock

  https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007689.htm

  Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the virus that causes AIDS. When a person becomes infected with HIV, the virus attacks and weakens the immune system. As the immune system weakens, the person is at risk of getting life-threatening infections and cancers. When that happens, the illness is called AIDS. […] Most children with HIV get the virus when it passes from an HIV-positive mother to their child. This can occur during pregnancy, childbirth, or when breastfeeding. […] Only blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk have been shown to transmit infection to others. […] The risk of a mother transmitting HIV during pregnancy or during labor is low for mothers identified and treated with ART early in pregnancy. When treated, the chance of her baby being infected is less than 1%. […] If a woman’s HIV status is not found until the time of labor, ART can reduce the rate of infection in infants to about 10%.

• #40 HIV/AIDS in pregnant women and infants: MedlinePlus Medical EncyclopediaLock

  https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007689.htm

  Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the virus that causes AIDS. When a person becomes infected with HIV, the virus attacks and weakens the immune system. As the immune system weakens, the person is at risk of getting life-threatening infections and cancers. When that happens, the illness is called AIDS. […] Most children with HIV get the virus when it passes from an HIV-positive mother to their child. This can occur during pregnancy, childbirth, or when breastfeeding. […] Only blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk have been shown to transmit infection to others. […] The risk of a mother transmitting HIV during pregnancy or during labor is low for mothers identified and treated with ART early in pregnancy. When treated, the chance of her baby being infected is less than 1%. […] If a woman’s HIV status is not found until the time of labor, ART can reduce the rate of infection in infants to about 10%.

• #41 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection – Infections – Merck Manual Consumer Version

  https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/infections/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv-infection/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv-infection

  The overall cumulative risk of transmission from mother to child without antiretroviral medications is 35 to 45%. […] If infected people are not treated, AIDS develops in most of them. How quickly the number of CD4 cells decreases and HIV infection progresses toward AIDS varies greatly from person to person. Generally, experts estimate that if untreated, people develop AIDS at the following rates: For the first several years after infection: 1 to 2% each year. […] Usually, HIV infection does not directly cause death. Instead, HIV infection leads to a substantial loss of weight (wasting), opportunistic infections, cancers, and other disorders, which then lead to death.

• #42 About HIV | HIV | CDC

  https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/about/index.html

  HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). […] Once people get HIV, they have it for life. But proper medical care can control the virus. […] HIV treatment reduces the amount of HIV in the blood (viral load). HIV treatment can make the viral load so low that a test can’t detect it (undetectable viral load). […] When people with HIV don’t get treatment, they typically progress through three stages. But HIV treatment can slow or prevent progression of the disease. […] People receive an AIDS diagnosis when their CD4 cell count drops below 200 cells per milliliter of blood, or they develop certain illnesses (sometimes called opportunistic infections).

• #43 HIV and AIDS: Causes, symptoms, treatment, and more

  https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/17131

  HIV is a virus that targets the immune system. It damages and destroys white blood cells called CD4 T cells. Without treatment, HIV can progress to an advanced stage called stage 3 HIV, or AIDS. […] HIV is a serious medical condition that damages the immune system. If left untreated, the virus can progress through three stages that may seriously impair a persons quality and duration of life. […] Stage 3 HIV, also called AIDS, is the most advanced stage of HIV. It typically happens if a person does not receive treatment. […] Doctors diagnose it when a persons CD4 blood count contains fewer than 200 cells per cubic millimeter, or if they have opportunistic infections. […] The chances of HIV progressing to stage 3 vary for each person and depend on many factors, such as: the persons age, the bodys ability to defend against HIV, accessibility of quality healthcare, the presence of other infections, a persons genetic resistance to certain strains of HIV, the strain of HIV, as some are drug-resistant.

• #44 What Is HIV AIDS? Causes, Treatment, History & Risks

  https://www.rxlist.com/hiv_transmission_and_the_history_of_hiv_aids/drugs-condition.htm

  HIV/AIDS AIDS (also termed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is defined as a syndrome or condition that results when HIV damages the human immune system so severely that the person becomes very susceptible to additional problems including different infections. […] Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is an older term for the symptoms and illness caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). […] HIV may cause a brief illness and rash during the very early phase of infection, and it may mimic many common viral infections like the common cold, influenza, or even mononucleosis. […] As HIV infects more and more immune cells over time, the immune cells start to decline and the person is not able to fight off infections. […] Research has also suggested that long-term infection with HIV causes long-term inflammation that may lead to conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and more; these conditions are found to occur at younger ages in those infected with HIV than in those who are not.

• #45 HIV/AIDS – Harvard Health

  https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/hivaids-a-to-z

  The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) weakens the body’s immune defenses by destroying CD4 (T-cell) lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. […] The range of symptoms and illnesses that can happen when HIV infection severely weakens the body’s immune defenses is called acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS. […] Since 1981, when doctors first recognized HIV/AIDS as a new illness, scientists have learned much about how a person becomes infected with HIV. The virus is spread through contact with an infected person’s body fluids, especially through blood, semen and vaginal fluids. […] Once someone is infected with HIV, the number of their CD4 cells continues to decrease. HIV is actively copying itself and killing CD4 cells from the time the infection starts. Eventually, the number of CD4 cells drops below the threshold level needed to defend the body against infections, and the person develops AIDS.

• #46

  https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/pages/conditions.aspx?Hwid=hw151408

  Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks the immune system, the body’s natural defence system. Without a strong immune system, the body has trouble fighting off disease. Both the virus and the infection it causes are called HIV. […] HIV infection is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus. People can get HIV when they come in contact with infected blood, semen, or vaginal fluids. This is usually through sexual contact or sharing needles. If you have HIV while you’re pregnant, the virus can be passed to your baby during birth. […] If HIV is not treated, it will usually get worse over time and cause AIDS. AIDS is the most severe stage of HIV infection. In people who don’t get treatment, it often takes 10 to 12 years for AIDS to develop. […] AIDS is diagnosed when one or both are true in a person with HIV: The person has a CD4+ cell count of less than 200 cells per microlitre (mcL). The person gets infections or cancers that are usually seen only in people who have immune system problems. Examples include Pneumocystis pneumonia and Kaposi sarcoma.

• #47 About HIV | HIV | CDC

  https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/about/index.html

  HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). […] Once people get HIV, they have it for life. But proper medical care can control the virus. […] HIV treatment reduces the amount of HIV in the blood (viral load). HIV treatment can make the viral load so low that a test can’t detect it (undetectable viral load). […] When people with HIV don’t get treatment, they typically progress through three stages. But HIV treatment can slow or prevent progression of the disease. […] People receive an AIDS diagnosis when their CD4 cell count drops below 200 cells per milliliter of blood, or they develop certain illnesses (sometimes called opportunistic infections).

• #48 HIV/AIDS – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic

  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hiv-aids/symptoms-causes/syc-20373524

  Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), is an ongoing, also called chronic, condition. It’s caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, also called HIV. […] HIV is caused by a virus. It can spread through sexual contact, shooting of illicit drugs or use of shared needles, and contact with infected blood. It also can spread from parent to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding. […] You can have an HIV infection with few or no symptoms for years before it turns into AIDS. AIDS is diagnosed when the CD4 T cell count falls below 200 or you have a complication you get only if you have AIDS, such as a serious infection or cancer.

• #49 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection – Infections – Merck Manual Consumer Version

  https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/infections/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv-infection/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv-infection

  The overall cumulative risk of transmission from mother to child without antiretroviral medications is 35 to 45%. […] If infected people are not treated, AIDS develops in most of them. How quickly the number of CD4 cells decreases and HIV infection progresses toward AIDS varies greatly from person to person. Generally, experts estimate that if untreated, people develop AIDS at the following rates: For the first several years after infection: 1 to 2% each year. […] Usually, HIV infection does not directly cause death. Instead, HIV infection leads to a substantial loss of weight (wasting), opportunistic infections, cancers, and other disorders, which then lead to death.

• #50 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

  https://oeps.wv.gov/hiv-aids/pages/hiv-aids_faq.aspx

  Studies of thousands of people have revealed that most people infected with HIV carry the virus for years before enough damage is done to the immune system for AIDS to develop. […] However, sensitive tests have shown a strong connection between the amount of HIV in the blood and the decline in CD4 T cells and the development of AIDS. […] On average, the untreated HIV infected patient will progress to AIDS in about 5-10 years. […] Since 1996, the introduction of powerful anti-retroviral therapies has dramatically changed the natural progression of HIV infection to the development of AIDS.

• #51 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection – Infectious Diseases – Merck Manual Professional Edition

  https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/infectious-diseases/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv-infection

  CD4+ depletion may result from the following: direct cytotoxic effects of HIV replication, cell-mediated immune cytotoxicity, and thymic damage that impairs lymphocyte production. […] If the count drops below about 200/mcL, loss of cell-mediated immunity allows a variety of opportunistic pathogens to reactivate from latent states and cause clinical disease. […] AIDS is defined as HIV infection with one or more of the following: one or more AIDS-defining illnesses, a CD4+ T lymphocyte (helper cell) count of 200/mcL, or a CD4+ cell percentage of 14% of the total lymphocyte count. […] AIDS-defining illnesses include serious opportunistic infections and certain cancers (eg, Kaposi sarcoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma) to which defective cell-mediated immunity predisposes.

• #52 HIV and AIDS: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments, and More

  https://www.healthline.com/health/hiv-aids

  AIDS is a disease that can develop in people who have the HIV virus. Treatment with antiretroviral drugs can typically prevent AIDS from developing in people with HIV. […] HIV is a virus that damages the immune system. Untreated HIV affects and kills CD4 cells, which are a type of immune cell called T cell. […] Without treatment, a person with HIV is likely to develop a serious condition called the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, known as AIDS. […] AIDS is caused by HIV. A person cant get AIDS if they havent contracted HIV. […] Healthy individuals have a CD4 count of 500 to 1,500 per cubic millimeter. Without treatment, HIV continues to multiply and destroy CD4 cells. If a persons CD4 count falls below 200, they have AIDS. […] Also, if someone with HIV develops an opportunistic infection associated with HIV, they can still be diagnosed with AIDS, even if their CD4 count is above 200.

• #53 HIV (AIDS) | BCM

  https://www.bcm.edu/departments/molecular-virology-and-microbiology/emerging-infections-and-biodefense/specific-agents/hiv-aids

  HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) causes the disease known as AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). HIV infects cells that are critical to the human immune system and destroys their ability to fight infections. […] HIV was first recognized in 1983 as the agent that causes AIDS, a disease initially found primarily in small clusters of homosexual men. […] The leading cause of death in people living with HIV/AIDS is tuberculosis. Some AIDS patients also develop unusual cancers because of defects in their immune systems. […] From the time a person becomes infected with HIV, there is usually a substantial lag time, generally about a decade, before an infected person develops the symptoms of AIDS. […] A normal person has about 1000 CD4+ T cells in a milliliter of blood. Once CD4+ T cell numbers fall to 200 cells per milliliter, the patient enters the phase of HIV infection that is known as AIDS, and it becomes increasingly difficult for these AIDS patients to fight off infections.

• #54 HIV/AIDS – Harvard Health

  https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/hivaids-a-to-z

  For an HIV-infected person, some signs that AIDS has developed (known as AIDS-defining conditions) are: The CD4 cell count has decreased to fewer than 200 cells per cubic milliliter of blood. […] HIV infection is a lifelong illness. There is no known cure for HIV. […] Although several HIV vaccines are being tested, none has been approved. […] If the decision is made to start treatment, your doctor will choose a combination of drugs called antiretrovirals to fight your HIV infection. […] Many studies have shown that people with high levels of virus in the blood (the viral load) will progress more rapidly to AIDS. […] If you are infected with HIV, it is best to find out as soon as possible so that treatment can be started before the immune system is weakened.

• #55 HIV and AIDS: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments, and More

  https://www.healthline.com/health/hiv-aids

  AIDS is a disease that can develop in people who have the HIV virus. Treatment with antiretroviral drugs can typically prevent AIDS from developing in people with HIV. […] HIV is a virus that damages the immune system. Untreated HIV affects and kills CD4 cells, which are a type of immune cell called T cell. […] Without treatment, a person with HIV is likely to develop a serious condition called the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, known as AIDS. […] AIDS is caused by HIV. A person cant get AIDS if they havent contracted HIV. […] Healthy individuals have a CD4 count of 500 to 1,500 per cubic millimeter. Without treatment, HIV continues to multiply and destroy CD4 cells. If a persons CD4 count falls below 200, they have AIDS. […] Also, if someone with HIV develops an opportunistic infection associated with HIV, they can still be diagnosed with AIDS, even if their CD4 count is above 200.

• #56 HIV/AIDS: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments | MedPark Hospital

  https://www.medparkhospital.com/en-US/disease-and-treatment/hiv-aids

  AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is due to long-term, untreated HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus) infection for approximately ten years. […] When HIV enters the body, it invades and destroys T-cells of the immune system, weakening the immune system to protect from external pathogens that enter the body, resulting in disease with acute, complex conditions, including severe opportunistic infections that are difficult to eradicate. […] AIDS complications are due to a weakened immune system, allowing opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, PJP, or cryptococcal meningitis to materialize. […] AIDS is currently rarely curable. As a result, seeing a healthcare professional for pre- and post-exposure ARV prophylaxis and getting a blood test after unprotected sex or exposure to other risky behaviors is crucial to lowering the risk of HIV infection, the proximate cause of AIDS.

• #57 HIV/AIDS – Wikipedia

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS

  HIV made the jump from other primates to humans in west-central Africa in the early-to-mid-20th century. AIDS was first recognized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1981 and its cause—HIV infection—was identified in the early part of the decade. […] HIV is the cause of the spectrum of disease known as HIV/AIDS. HIV is a retrovirus that primarily infects components of the human immune system such as CD4+ T cells, macrophages and dendritic cells. It directly and indirectly destroys CD4+ T cells. […] Ultimately, HIV causes AIDS by depleting CD4+ T cells. This weakens the immune system and allows opportunistic infections. T cells are essential to the immune response and without them, the body cannot fight infections or kill cancerous cells. The mechanism of CD4+ T cell depletion differs in the acute and chronic phases. […] The primary causes of death from HIV/AIDS are opportunistic infections and cancer, both of which are frequently the result of the progressive failure of the immune system. Risk of cancer appears to increase once the CD4 count is below 500/L.

• #58 HIV Infection and AIDS: Practice Essentials, Background, Pathophysiology

  https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/211316-overview

  The specific details of the disease process that leads to AIDS are not fully understood despite considerable progress in the virology of HIV and the immunology of the human host, much of which has been driven by the urge to better understand AIDS. […] There is a specific decline in the CD4 helper T cells, resulting in inversion of the normal CD4/CD8 T-cell ratio and dysregulation of B-cell antibody production. […] Direct cytotoxic effects of viral replication likely are not the primary cause of CD4 T-cell loss; a significant bystander effect likely is secondary to T-cell apoptosis as part of immune hyperactivation in response to the chronic infection. […] Regardless of the cause for the disruption, a loss of thymic replacements in the face of an induced state of immune activation and T-cell loss seems to be a key component of the mechanism by which HIV narrows the T-cell repertoire and progresses to AIDS.

• #59 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection – Infectious Diseases – Merck Manual Professional Edition

  https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/infectious-diseases/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv-infection

  Many opportunistic infections that complicate HIV are reactivations of latent infections. […] Thus, epidemiologic factors that determine the prevalence of latent infections also influence the risk of specific opportunistic infections. […] HIV attaches to and penetrates host T cells via CD4+ molecules and chemokine receptors. […] Viral replication requires that reverse transcriptase (an RNA-dependent DNA polymerase) copy HIV RNA, producing proviral DNA; this copying mechanism is prone to errors, resulting in frequent mutations and, thus, new HIV genotypes. […] The high volume of HIV replication and high frequency of transcription errors by HIV reverse transcriptase result in many mutations, increasing the chance of producing strains resistant to host immunity and drugs. […] Two main consequences of HIV infection are damage to the immune system, specifically depletion of CD4+ lymphocytes, and immune activation.

• #60 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection – Infectious Diseases – Merck Manual Professional Edition

  https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/infectious-diseases/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv-infection

  CD4+ depletion may result from the following: direct cytotoxic effects of HIV replication, cell-mediated immune cytotoxicity, and thymic damage that impairs lymphocyte production. […] If the count drops below about 200/mcL, loss of cell-mediated immunity allows a variety of opportunistic pathogens to reactivate from latent states and cause clinical disease. […] AIDS is defined as HIV infection with one or more of the following: one or more AIDS-defining illnesses, a CD4+ T lymphocyte (helper cell) count of 200/mcL, or a CD4+ cell percentage of 14% of the total lymphocyte count. […] AIDS-defining illnesses include serious opportunistic infections and certain cancers (eg, Kaposi sarcoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma) to which defective cell-mediated immunity predisposes.

• #61 HIV Infection and AIDS: Practice Essentials, Background, Pathophysiology

  https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/211316-overview

  The specific details of the disease process that leads to AIDS are not fully understood despite considerable progress in the virology of HIV and the immunology of the human host, much of which has been driven by the urge to better understand AIDS. […] There is a specific decline in the CD4 helper T cells, resulting in inversion of the normal CD4/CD8 T-cell ratio and dysregulation of B-cell antibody production. […] Direct cytotoxic effects of viral replication likely are not the primary cause of CD4 T-cell loss; a significant bystander effect likely is secondary to T-cell apoptosis as part of immune hyperactivation in response to the chronic infection. […] Regardless of the cause for the disruption, a loss of thymic replacements in the face of an induced state of immune activation and T-cell loss seems to be a key component of the mechanism by which HIV narrows the T-cell repertoire and progresses to AIDS.

• #62 HIV and AIDS: Causes, symptoms, treatment, and more

  https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/17131

  HIV is a virus that targets the immune system. It damages and destroys white blood cells called CD4 T cells. Without treatment, HIV can progress to an advanced stage called stage 3 HIV, or AIDS. […] HIV is a serious medical condition that damages the immune system. If left untreated, the virus can progress through three stages that may seriously impair a persons quality and duration of life. […] Stage 3 HIV, also called AIDS, is the most advanced stage of HIV. It typically happens if a person does not receive treatment. […] Doctors diagnose it when a persons CD4 blood count contains fewer than 200 cells per cubic millimeter, or if they have opportunistic infections. […] The chances of HIV progressing to stage 3 vary for each person and depend on many factors, such as: the persons age, the bodys ability to defend against HIV, accessibility of quality healthcare, the presence of other infections, a persons genetic resistance to certain strains of HIV, the strain of HIV, as some are drug-resistant.

• #63 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection – Infectious Diseases – Merck Manual Professional Edition

  https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/infectious-diseases/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv-infection

  Many opportunistic infections that complicate HIV are reactivations of latent infections. […] Thus, epidemiologic factors that determine the prevalence of latent infections also influence the risk of specific opportunistic infections. […] HIV attaches to and penetrates host T cells via CD4+ molecules and chemokine receptors. […] Viral replication requires that reverse transcriptase (an RNA-dependent DNA polymerase) copy HIV RNA, producing proviral DNA; this copying mechanism is prone to errors, resulting in frequent mutations and, thus, new HIV genotypes. […] The high volume of HIV replication and high frequency of transcription errors by HIV reverse transcriptase result in many mutations, increasing the chance of producing strains resistant to host immunity and drugs. […] Two main consequences of HIV infection are damage to the immune system, specifically depletion of CD4+ lymphocytes, and immune activation.

• #64 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection – Infectious Diseases – Merck Manual Professional Edition

  https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/infectious-diseases/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv-infection

  Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (infection with either HIV-1 or HIV-2) destroys CD4+ lymphocytes and impairs cell-mediated immunity, increasing risk of certain infections and cancers. […] HIV can directly damage the brain, gonads, kidneys, and heart, causing cognitive impairment, hypogonadism, renal insufficiency, or cardiomyopathy. […] HIV-1 originated in Central Africa in the first half of the 20th century, when a closely related chimpanzee virus first infected humans. […] HIV infection is most prevalent in Africa, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. […] Most HIV infections are transmitted through heterosexual contact, but risk factors vary according to region or national income level. […] In areas where heterosexual transmission is dominant, HIV infection follows routes of trade, transportation, and economic migration to cities and spreads secondarily to rural areas.

• #65

  https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hiv-aids

  HIV is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) occurs at the most advanced stage of infection. […] HIV targets the body’s white blood cells, weakening the immune system. This makes it easier to get sick with diseases like tuberculosis, infections and some cancers. […] HIV can be prevented and treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART). Untreated HIV can progress to AIDS, often after many years. […] HIV causes other infections to get worse, such as hepatitis C, hepatitis B and mpox. […] There is no cure for HIV infection. It is treated with antiretroviral drugs, which stop the virus from replicating in the body. […] Current antiretroviral therapy (ART) does not cure HIV infection but allows a person’s immune system to get stronger. This helps them to fight other infections. […] Advanced HIV disease remains a persistent problem in the HIV response.

• #66 Egypt Healthcare – Causes of AIDS

  https://eha.gov.eg/en/medical-info/causes-of-aids/causes-of-aids/

  Yes. Infections can be transmitted from the mother infected with the virus to the fetus found in the uterus through the blood, and the infection may sometimes be transmitted during breastfeeding. […] Yes, if the blood is contaminated with the virus. […] Yes, if the tools are contaminated with blood containing the virus. […] HIV infection cannot be transmitted by touch, sharing food and drink tools, using the same toilets, working, or sleeping in the same room as the infected person. […] Diagnosis is done by a blood test for the presence of virus antibodies. […] People living with HIV, if untreated, may develop severe diseases such as:- Tuberculosis- torula meningitis- Severe bacterial infections- Some cancers, such as lymphoma- Worsening cases of hepatitis C, hepatitis B, and monkeypox. […] There is still no vaccine to prevent HIV infection. There are many drugs used to treat AIDS-related infections, and these drugs also work to prevent the reproduction of the virus, but they do not heal from AIDS, and these drugs delay the onset of AIDS symptoms and the occurrence of death.

• #67 What Is HIV AIDS? Causes, Treatment, History & Risks

  https://www.rxlist.com/hiv_transmission_and_the_history_of_hiv_aids/drugs-condition.htm

  HIV/AIDS AIDS (also termed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is defined as a syndrome or condition that results when HIV damages the human immune system so severely that the person becomes very susceptible to additional problems including different infections. […] Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is an older term for the symptoms and illness caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). […] HIV may cause a brief illness and rash during the very early phase of infection, and it may mimic many common viral infections like the common cold, influenza, or even mononucleosis. […] As HIV infects more and more immune cells over time, the immune cells start to decline and the person is not able to fight off infections. […] Research has also suggested that long-term infection with HIV causes long-term inflammation that may lead to conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and more; these conditions are found to occur at younger ages in those infected with HIV than in those who are not.

• #68 HIV infection and AIDS – symptoms, causes, treatments and prevention | healthdirect

  https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/hiv-infection-and-aids

  Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that affects your immune system by destroying CD4 cells. […] Untreated HIV usually leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) within 10 years. […] HIV damages your immune system and makes it difficult for it to fight infections and stop some cancers from developing. […] Today, if you are living with HIV and take your treatment as prescribed, you are unlikely to develop AIDS and are likely to live a long and healthy life. This is because these medicines keep the amount of virus in your blood (’viral load’) under control and protect your immune system. […] AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is caused by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). […] HIV, human immunodeficiency virus, causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) by slowly destroying the immune system, leaving the body vulnerable to disease.

• #69 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection in Children and Adolescents – Children’s Health Issues – MSD Manual Consumer Version

  https://www.msdmanuals.com/home/children-s-health-issues/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv-infection-in-children/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv-infection-in-children-and-adolescents

  Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is the most severe form of HIV infection. A child with HIV infection is considered to have AIDS when at least one complicating illness develops or when there is a significant decline in the body’s ability to defend itself from infection. […] If children with HIV do not receive antiretroviral medications, opportunistic infections occur, particularly Pneumocystis pneumonia, and the prognosis is poor. Pneumocystis pneumonia causes death in 5 to 40% of treated children and in almost 100% of untreated children. The prognosis is also poor for children in whom the virus is detected early (within the first week of life) or who develop symptoms in the first year of life if they do not receive ART. […] To date, there is no cure for HIV infection, and it is not yet known if a cure is possible. What is known, however, is that HIV infection is a treatable infection and that long-term survival is possible if effective ART is given.

• #70 HIV/AIDS – Wikipedia

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS

  HIV made the jump from other primates to humans in west-central Africa in the early-to-mid-20th century. AIDS was first recognized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1981 and its cause—HIV infection—was identified in the early part of the decade. […] HIV is the cause of the spectrum of disease known as HIV/AIDS. HIV is a retrovirus that primarily infects components of the human immune system such as CD4+ T cells, macrophages and dendritic cells. It directly and indirectly destroys CD4+ T cells. […] Ultimately, HIV causes AIDS by depleting CD4+ T cells. This weakens the immune system and allows opportunistic infections. T cells are essential to the immune response and without them, the body cannot fight infections or kill cancerous cells. The mechanism of CD4+ T cell depletion differs in the acute and chronic phases. […] The primary causes of death from HIV/AIDS are opportunistic infections and cancer, both of which are frequently the result of the progressive failure of the immune system. Risk of cancer appears to increase once the CD4 count is below 500/L.

• #71 What Is HIV AIDS? Causes, Treatment, History & Risks

  https://www.rxlist.com/hiv_transmission_and_the_history_of_hiv_aids/drugs-condition.htm

  HIV/AIDS AIDS (also termed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is defined as a syndrome or condition that results when HIV damages the human immune system so severely that the person becomes very susceptible to additional problems including different infections. […] Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is an older term for the symptoms and illness caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). […] HIV may cause a brief illness and rash during the very early phase of infection, and it may mimic many common viral infections like the common cold, influenza, or even mononucleosis. […] As HIV infects more and more immune cells over time, the immune cells start to decline and the person is not able to fight off infections. […] Research has also suggested that long-term infection with HIV causes long-term inflammation that may lead to conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and more; these conditions are found to occur at younger ages in those infected with HIV than in those who are not.

• #72 What Is HIV AIDS? Causes, Treatment, History & Risks

  https://www.rxlist.com/hiv_transmission_and_the_history_of_hiv_aids/drugs-condition.htm

  HIV/AIDS AIDS (also termed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is defined as a syndrome or condition that results when HIV damages the human immune system so severely that the person becomes very susceptible to additional problems including different infections. […] Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is an older term for the symptoms and illness caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). […] HIV may cause a brief illness and rash during the very early phase of infection, and it may mimic many common viral infections like the common cold, influenza, or even mononucleosis. […] As HIV infects more and more immune cells over time, the immune cells start to decline and the person is not able to fight off infections. […] Research has also suggested that long-term infection with HIV causes long-term inflammation that may lead to conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and more; these conditions are found to occur at younger ages in those infected with HIV than in those who are not.

• #73 HIV/AIDS – Wikipedia

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS

  HIV made the jump from other primates to humans in west-central Africa in the early-to-mid-20th century. AIDS was first recognized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1981 and its cause—HIV infection—was identified in the early part of the decade. […] HIV is the cause of the spectrum of disease known as HIV/AIDS. HIV is a retrovirus that primarily infects components of the human immune system such as CD4+ T cells, macrophages and dendritic cells. It directly and indirectly destroys CD4+ T cells. […] Ultimately, HIV causes AIDS by depleting CD4+ T cells. This weakens the immune system and allows opportunistic infections. T cells are essential to the immune response and without them, the body cannot fight infections or kill cancerous cells. The mechanism of CD4+ T cell depletion differs in the acute and chronic phases. […] The primary causes of death from HIV/AIDS are opportunistic infections and cancer, both of which are frequently the result of the progressive failure of the immune system. Risk of cancer appears to increase once the CD4 count is below 500/L.

• #74 HIV (AIDS) | BCM

  https://www.bcm.edu/departments/molecular-virology-and-microbiology/emerging-infections-and-biodefense/specific-agents/hiv-aids

  HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) causes the disease known as AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). HIV infects cells that are critical to the human immune system and destroys their ability to fight infections. […] HIV was first recognized in 1983 as the agent that causes AIDS, a disease initially found primarily in small clusters of homosexual men. […] The leading cause of death in people living with HIV/AIDS is tuberculosis. Some AIDS patients also develop unusual cancers because of defects in their immune systems. […] From the time a person becomes infected with HIV, there is usually a substantial lag time, generally about a decade, before an infected person develops the symptoms of AIDS. […] A normal person has about 1000 CD4+ T cells in a milliliter of blood. Once CD4+ T cell numbers fall to 200 cells per milliliter, the patient enters the phase of HIV infection that is known as AIDS, and it becomes increasingly difficult for these AIDS patients to fight off infections.

• #75 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection – Infections – Merck Manual Consumer Version

  https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/infections/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv-infection/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv-infection

  The overall cumulative risk of transmission from mother to child without antiretroviral medications is 35 to 45%. […] If infected people are not treated, AIDS develops in most of them. How quickly the number of CD4 cells decreases and HIV infection progresses toward AIDS varies greatly from person to person. Generally, experts estimate that if untreated, people develop AIDS at the following rates: For the first several years after infection: 1 to 2% each year. […] Usually, HIV infection does not directly cause death. Instead, HIV infection leads to a substantial loss of weight (wasting), opportunistic infections, cancers, and other disorders, which then lead to death.

• #76 HIV – Wikipedia

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV

  The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of Lentivirus (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive. Without treatment, the average survival time after infection with HIV is estimated to be 9 to 11 years, depending on the HIV subtype. […] In most cases, HIV is a sexually transmitted infection and occurs by contact with or transfer of blood, pre-ejaculate, semen, and vaginal fluids. Non-sexual transmission can occur from an infected mother to her infant during pregnancy, during childbirth by exposure to her blood or vaginal fluid, and through breast milk. […] HIV infects vital cells in the human immune system, such as helper T cells (specifically CD4+ T cells), macrophages, and dendritic cells. HIV infection leads to low levels of CD4+ T cells through a number of mechanisms, including pyroptosis of abortively infected T cells, apoptosis of uninfected bystander cells, direct viral killing of infected cells, and killing of infected CD4+ T cells by CD8+ cytotoxic lymphocytes that recognize infected cells. When CD4+ T cell numbers decline below a critical level, cell-mediated immunity is lost, and the body becomes progressively more susceptible to opportunistic infections, leading to the development of AIDS.

• #77 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) > Fact Sheets > Yale Medicine

  https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv

  HIV is a retrovirus that impairs the immune system and causes AIDS. […] AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is an advanced form of immune deficiency caused by HIV. […] When HIV was first documented, in the early 1980s, there were no effective treatments for it, so the disease often progressed to AIDS, leading to the death of millions of people. […] Treatment may reduce HIV to undetectable levels, improve CD4 T cell counts, and prevent HIV from progressing to AIDS. […] People who don’t seek treatment for HIV or AIDS may only live for about 3 years after the onset of AIDS.

• #78 What Are HIV and AIDS?

  https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/about-hiv-and-aids/what-are-hiv-and-aids

  HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks cells that help the body fight infection, making a person more vulnerable to other infections and diseases. […] If left untreated, HIV can lead to the disease AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). […] The human body cant get rid of HIV and no effective HIV cure exists. […] AIDS is the late stage of HIV infection that occurs when the bodys immune system is badly damaged because of the virus. […] In the U.S., most people with HIV do not develop AIDS because taking HIV medicine as prescribed stops the progression of the disease. […] Without HIV medicine, people with AIDS typically survive about 3 years.

• #79 HIV/AIDS – Wikipedia

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS

  The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. It is a preventable disease. It can be managed with treatment and become a manageable chronic health condition. While there is no cure or vaccine for HIV, antiretroviral treatment can slow the course of the disease, and if used before significant disease progression, can extend the life expectancy of someone living with HIV to a nearly standard level. An HIV-positive person on treatment can expect to live a normal life, and die with the virus, not of it. Effective treatment for HIV-positive people (people living with HIV) involves a life-long regimen of medicine to suppress the virus, making the viral load undetectable. Without treatment it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

• #80 HIV infection and AIDS – symptoms, causes, treatments and prevention | healthdirect

  https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/hiv-infection-and-aids

  Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that affects your immune system by destroying CD4 cells. […] Untreated HIV usually leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) within 10 years. […] HIV damages your immune system and makes it difficult for it to fight infections and stop some cancers from developing. […] Today, if you are living with HIV and take your treatment as prescribed, you are unlikely to develop AIDS and are likely to live a long and healthy life. This is because these medicines keep the amount of virus in your blood (’viral load’) under control and protect your immune system. […] AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is caused by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). […] HIV, human immunodeficiency virus, causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) by slowly destroying the immune system, leaving the body vulnerable to disease.

• #81 If HIV is the Cause of Aids Why is there a Continuing Controvercy? – Biosciences Biotechnology Research Asia

  https://www.biotech-asia.org/vol8no1/if-hiv-is-the-cause-of-aids-why-is-there-a-continuing-controvercy-2/

  It is almost universally accepted that AIDS is caused by the HIV virus. […] Since then, the consensus view amongst nearly all scientists is that HIV causes AIDS and it is nearly universally accepted that by destroying the cells of the immune system, HIV causes the host to become highly susceptible to many opportunistic pathogens allowing the infected individual to succumb to these diseases, which ultimately leads to death. […] The AIDS dissidents (or dissenters, as they are also known) claim that each of these risk-factors are known to lower the immune system and are in fact the real cause of AIDS. […] It is believed by these dissidents that unequivocal evidence proving the HIV-causes-AIDS hypothesis is absent from the scientific literature and that HIV spreads throughout the population is not indicative of a pathogenic virus.

• #82 If HIV is the Cause of Aids Why is there a Continuing Controvercy? – Biosciences Biotechnology Research Asia

  https://www.biotech-asia.org/vol8no1/if-hiv-is-the-cause-of-aids-why-is-there-a-continuing-controvercy-2/

  The ideas of the AIDS dissenters are often marginalized and few major scientific journals publish their views. […] Almost immediately after the link was made between HIV and Aids a controversy erupted which continues to this very day. […] What then is behind the claims of these heretics? Should they even be given a hearing in the face of the vast amount of evidence which apparently exists to prove they are wrong? […] In April 1984 the American Health and Human Services Secretary announced to the media that the probable cause of the newly identified Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome complex (AIDS) had been discovered. […] Since then the consensus view amongst the scientific and medical community has followed this claim hypothesis simply put, HIV equals AIDS. […] It is almost universally claimed that HIV, a retrovirus to infect and destroy cells of the immune system, especially the T -cells that form an important defense against viral and other intracellular pathogens.

• #83 If HIV is the Cause of Aids Why is there a Continuing Controvercy? – Biosciences Biotechnology Research Asia

  https://www.biotech-asia.org/vol8no1/if-hiv-is-the-cause-of-aids-why-is-there-a-continuing-controvercy-2/

  Duesberg argued for many that HIV is only weakly infectious and that the central tenets of the theory has failed every one of the fifteen testable predictions for a new virus and fails to meet Kochs postulates. […] Duesberg and other dissenters such a Root Bernstein have now retired from the fray. […] Duesbergs claim that HIV is not the cause of AIDS is based on the following: HIV destroys T -lymphocytes slower than the body can regenerate them and is therefore not capable of significantly damaging the immune system. […] Duesberg claims that every year, the incubation period for HIV to develop into AIDS is extended as the expected epidemic fails to materialize. […] Duesberg also claims that there exists a ten-fold variation between the ratio of HIV infection and AIDS incidence for the different risk groups, and a dramatic variation of diseases in AIDS patients exists between the different risk groups.

• #84 Human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: correlation but not causation – PubMed

  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2644642/

  AIDS is an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome defined by a severe depletion of T cells and over 20 conventional degenerative and neoplastic diseases. […] Since AIDS also correlates with antibody to a retrovirus, confirmed in about 40% of American cases, it has been hypothesized that this virus causes AIDS by killing T cells. […] The hypothesis that HIV causes AIDS is examined in terms of Koch’s postulates and epidemiological, biochemical, genetic, and evolutionary conditions of viral pathology. […] HIV does not fulfill Koch’s postulates: (i) free virus is not detectable in most cases of AIDS; (ii) virus can only be isolated by reactivating virus in vitro from a few latently infected lymphocytes among millions of uninfected ones; (iii) pure HIV does not cause AIDS upon experimental infection of chimpanzees or accidental infection of healthy humans.

• #85 If HIV is the Cause of Aids Why is there a Continuing Controvercy? – Biosciences Biotechnology Research Asia

  https://www.biotech-asia.org/vol8no1/if-hiv-is-the-cause-of-aids-why-is-there-a-continuing-controvercy-2/

  Duesberg argued for many that HIV is only weakly infectious and that the central tenets of the theory has failed every one of the fifteen testable predictions for a new virus and fails to meet Kochs postulates. […] Duesberg and other dissenters such a Root Bernstein have now retired from the fray. […] Duesbergs claim that HIV is not the cause of AIDS is based on the following: HIV destroys T -lymphocytes slower than the body can regenerate them and is therefore not capable of significantly damaging the immune system. […] Duesberg claims that every year, the incubation period for HIV to develop into AIDS is extended as the expected epidemic fails to materialize. […] Duesberg also claims that there exists a ten-fold variation between the ratio of HIV infection and AIDS incidence for the different risk groups, and a dramatic variation of diseases in AIDS patients exists between the different risk groups.

• #86 If HIV is the Cause of Aids Why is there a Continuing Controvercy? – Biosciences Biotechnology Research Asia

  https://www.biotech-asia.org/vol8no1/if-hiv-is-the-cause-of-aids-why-is-there-a-continuing-controvercy-2/

  Duesberg poses the question that if the symptoms of AIDS are different in each risk group, how can a universal virus cause the disease, unless the disease was not caused by a pathogen? […] Duesberg repeatedly claims that HIV fails to meet each of Kochs postulates. […] Duesberg also stated that HIV breaks the six cardinal rules of virology. […] Duesberg noted that researchers have failed to detect free virus and provirus in 20 to 50% of AIDS cases. […] Duesberg also stated that the prophylactic administration of AZT and other anti-viral drugs also causes the same symptomatic effects of AIDS such as anaemia, muscle atrophy, lymphomas and dementia. […] Duesberg proposed that American and European AIDS is caused by long term abuse of recreational drugs (especially nitrite inhalants) and the consumption of anti- HIV drugs such as AZT.

• #87 If HIV is the Cause of Aids Why is there a Continuing Controvercy? – Biosciences Biotechnology Research Asia

  https://www.biotech-asia.org/vol8no1/if-hiv-is-the-cause-of-aids-why-is-there-a-continuing-controvercy-2/

  Duesberg claims that haemophiliacs suffer from the AIDS complex due to the presence of contaminating foreign proteins found in transfusions which are known to possess immune-lowering properties. […] Duesberg again notes the differences in disease symptoms that are found between the various HIV positive groups. […] Duesberg claims that instead of a new virus, malnutrition, parasitic infections and poor sanitary conditions have all been proposed as causes of African AIDS-defining diseases. […] The controversy surrounding the HIV/AIDS hypothesis was highlighted to heads of governments around the globe when the president of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, wrote a letter to the heads of states highlighting the fact that African AIDS is clearly different from Western AIDS. […] In light of the lack of unequivocal evidence for the HIV equals AIDS hypothesis, why does it still hold the majority viewpoint?

• #88 WHAT REALLY CAUSES AIDS? | The BMJ

  https://www.bmj.com/rapid-response/2011/10/30/what-really-causes-aids

  The medications currently used to treat patients with AIDS, such as AZT, protease inhibitors, and glucocorticoids are highly toxic. They can cause AIDS in asymptomatic patients; they worsen the condition of AIDS patients and even lead to their death. […] The appearance of the AIDS epidemic in the United States of America in 1981 can easily be explained by the following events. […] The chronic use of medications containing glucocorticoids at high doses by inhalation caused severe impairment of the immune defenses of the lungs and the upper respiratory tract. This led to the infection of the lungs and other organs with opportunistic microorganisms and the development of cancer. […] The following are clinical examples that show how drug users, homosexual men, and individuals with chronic health conditions develop AIDS as a result of the use of the immunosuppressant agents.

• #89 If HIV is the Cause of Aids Why is there a Continuing Controvercy? – Biosciences Biotechnology Research Asia

  https://www.biotech-asia.org/vol8no1/if-hiv-is-the-cause-of-aids-why-is-there-a-continuing-controvercy-2/

  The ideas of the AIDS dissenters are often marginalized and few major scientific journals publish their views. […] Almost immediately after the link was made between HIV and Aids a controversy erupted which continues to this very day. […] What then is behind the claims of these heretics? Should they even be given a hearing in the face of the vast amount of evidence which apparently exists to prove they are wrong? […] In April 1984 the American Health and Human Services Secretary announced to the media that the probable cause of the newly identified Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome complex (AIDS) had been discovered. […] Since then the consensus view amongst the scientific and medical community has followed this claim hypothesis simply put, HIV equals AIDS. […] It is almost universally claimed that HIV, a retrovirus to infect and destroy cells of the immune system, especially the T -cells that form an important defense against viral and other intracellular pathogens.

• #90 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

  https://oeps.wv.gov/hiv-aids/pages/hiv-aids_faq.aspx

  Studies of thousands of people have revealed that most people infected with HIV carry the virus for years before enough damage is done to the immune system for AIDS to develop. […] However, sensitive tests have shown a strong connection between the amount of HIV in the blood and the decline in CD4 T cells and the development of AIDS. […] On average, the untreated HIV infected patient will progress to AIDS in about 5-10 years. […] Since 1996, the introduction of powerful anti-retroviral therapies has dramatically changed the natural progression of HIV infection to the development of AIDS.

• #91 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

  https://oeps.wv.gov/hiv-aids/pages/hiv-aids_faq.aspx

  Studies of thousands of people have revealed that most people infected with HIV carry the virus for years before enough damage is done to the immune system for AIDS to develop. […] However, sensitive tests have shown a strong connection between the amount of HIV in the blood and the decline in CD4 T cells and the development of AIDS. […] On average, the untreated HIV infected patient will progress to AIDS in about 5-10 years. […] Since 1996, the introduction of powerful anti-retroviral therapies has dramatically changed the natural progression of HIV infection to the development of AIDS.

• #92 What is HIV/AIDS? | doh

  https://dchealth.dc.gov/page/what-hivaids

  For many years scientists theorized as to the origins of HIV and how it appeared in the human population, most believing that HIV originated in other primates. Then in 1999, an international team of researchers reported that they had discovered the origins of HIV-1, the predominant strain of HIV in the developed world. A subspecies of chimpanzees native to west equatorial Africa had been identified as the original source of the virus. The researchers believe that HIV-1 was introduced into the human population when hunters became exposed to infected blood. […] The epidemic of HIV and AIDS has attracted much attention both within and outside the medical and scientific communities. Much of this attention comes from the many social issues related to this disease such as sexuality, drug use, and poverty. Although the scientific evidence is overwhelming and compelling that HIV is the cause of AIDS, the disease process is still not completely understood.

• #93 HIV (AIDS) | BCM

  https://www.bcm.edu/departments/molecular-virology-and-microbiology/emerging-infections-and-biodefense/specific-agents/hiv-aids

  HIV belongs to a class of viruses known as retroviruses. […] Anti-HIV drugs are available that block several different steps in the HIV replication cycle – the entry of the virus into the cell, the reverse transcription step that converts RNA to DNA, and the protease step which is needed to produce the right forms of the virus proteins. […] There is still no cure for AIDS. Effective therapies against HIV now exist which extend and improve the quality of life for HIV-infected patients, and reduce transmission of the virus. […] The ultimate goal is to develop a vaccine that will prevent the transmission of HIV, or at least the progression to AIDS in individuals already infected. […] Until a vaccine or improved drugs can be developed, prevention of new infections is a top priority. […] The general focus of the work is on understanding the details of how HIV replicates and how it causes disease and on identifying new potential targets for drug therapies and developing vaccine strategies.

• #94 What is HIV/AIDS? | doh

  https://dchealth.dc.gov/page/what-hivaids

  The conclusion after more than 28 years of scientific research is that people, if exposed to HIV through sexual contact or injecting drug use for example, may become infected with HIV. If they become infected, most will eventually develop AIDS. […] No. HIV is a virus that has evolved over time and though it became a global pandemic only recently in human history, its origins are much older and found in nature.

• #95 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection – Infections – Merck Manual Consumer Version

  https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/infections/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv-infection/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv-infection

  Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a viral infection that progressively destroys certain white blood cells and is treated with antiretroviral medications. If untreated, it can cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is sometimes referred to as end-stage HIV infection. […] HIV infections may be caused by 1 of 2 retroviruses, HIV-1 or HIV-2. HIV-1 causes most HIV infections worldwide, but HIV-2 causes many HIV infections in West Africa. HIV-2 appears to be less severe than HIV-1. […] Most untreated people eventually become ill and develop AIDS, defined by the presence of serious infections and cancers. […] AIDS (or end-stage HIV infection) is the most severe form of HIV infection. HIV infection is considered to be end-stage when at least one serious complicating illness develops or the number (count) of CD4+ lymphocytes decreases substantially.

• #96 HIV and AIDS: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments, and More

  https://www.healthline.com/health/hiv-aids

  AIDS is a disease that can develop in people who have the HIV virus. Treatment with antiretroviral drugs can typically prevent AIDS from developing in people with HIV. […] HIV is a virus that damages the immune system. Untreated HIV affects and kills CD4 cells, which are a type of immune cell called T cell. […] Without treatment, a person with HIV is likely to develop a serious condition called the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, known as AIDS. […] AIDS is caused by HIV. A person cant get AIDS if they havent contracted HIV. […] Healthy individuals have a CD4 count of 500 to 1,500 per cubic millimeter. Without treatment, HIV continues to multiply and destroy CD4 cells. If a persons CD4 count falls below 200, they have AIDS. […] Also, if someone with HIV develops an opportunistic infection associated with HIV, they can still be diagnosed with AIDS, even if their CD4 count is above 200.

• #97 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) > Fact Sheets > Yale Medicine

  https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv

  HIV is a retrovirus that impairs the immune system and causes AIDS. […] AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is an advanced form of immune deficiency caused by HIV. […] When HIV was first documented, in the early 1980s, there were no effective treatments for it, so the disease often progressed to AIDS, leading to the death of millions of people. […] Treatment may reduce HIV to undetectable levels, improve CD4 T cell counts, and prevent HIV from progressing to AIDS. […] People who don’t seek treatment for HIV or AIDS may only live for about 3 years after the onset of AIDS.

• #98 HIV | HIV Symptoms | AIDS | MedlinePlus

  https://medlineplus.gov/hiv.html

  HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. HIV harms your immune system by destroying a type of white blood cell that helps your body fight infection. This puts you at risk for other infections and diseases. […] AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. It is the final stage of infection with HIV. It happens when the body’s immune system is badly damaged because of the virus. Not everyone with HIV develops AIDS. […] HIV is spread through certain body fluids from a person who has HIV. This can happen: By having unprotected vaginal or anal sex with a person who has HIV. „Unprotected” means not using condoms or medicine to treat or prevent HIV. This is the most common way that it spreads. […] If the infection is not treated, it becomes chronic HIV infection. Often, there are no symptoms during this stage. If it is not treated, eventually the virus will weaken your body’s immune system. Then the infection will progress to AIDS. This is the late stage of HIV infection. Because your immune system is badly damaged, your body cannot fight off other infections, called opportunistic infections (OIs). OIs are infections that happen more frequently or are more severe in people who have weakened immune systems. […] There is no cure for HIV infection, but it can be treated with medicines. This is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART can make HIV infection a manageable chronic condition. It also reduces the risk of spreading the virus to others.

• #99 AIDS | United Nations

  https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/aids

  In June 1981, scientists in the United States reported the first clinical evidence of a disease that would later become known as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. Its cause, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), was identified in 1983. […] HIV is found in the bodily fluids of a person who is living with HIVblood, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk. […] It can be transmitted through unprotected sexual contact. […] It can spread from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding if the mother is living with HIV. […] The world has halted and reversed the spread of HIV. […] The epidemic has been forced into decline. […] Now the response is going one step furtherending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

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