HIV and AIDS

The best way to prevent HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is to use a condom for penetrative sex and a dental dam for oral sex. The best way to prevent HIV is to use a condom for sex and to never share needles or other injecting equipment (including syringes and swabs).

To help prevent the spread of HIV

• Take antiretroviral medicines. Getting treated for HIV can help prevent the spread of HIV to people who are not infected.
• Tell your sex partner or partners about your behaviour and whether you are HIV-positive.
• Follow safer sex practices, such as using condoms.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are infection that are passed from one person to another through sexual contact. Most STDs affect both men and women, but in many cases the health problems they cause can be more severe for women. If a pregnant woman has an STD, it can cause health problems for the baby.

Antibiotics can treat STDs caused by bacteria, yeast, or parasites. There is no cure for STDs caused by a virus, but medicines can often help with the symptoms and keep the disease control. Usage of latex condoms greatly reduces, but does not completely eliminate, the risk of catching or spreading STDs.

Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. This condition is most often caused by a virus. The most common causes of viral hepatitis are hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV). HBV and HCV are common among people who are at risk for, or living with, HIV. You can get some of viral hepatitis the same way you get HIV—through unprotected sexual contact and injection drug use. HAV causes a short-term severe illness, is usually spread when the virus is ingested from contact with food and objects (including injection drug equipment).

Retroviruses are pleiotropically found in animals. Two human retroviruses are especially important pathogens. These are the HIV and the human T-cell leukemia virus, HTLV. HIV causes AIDS while HTLV-I is the etiological agent for adult T-cell leukemia. There is a large amount of basic research being conducted on HIV and HTLV-I spanning gene expression, virus structure-assembly, integration, replication, and pathogenesis. Retro virology intends to cover areas of human and animal retrovirus research.

Retroviruses are pleiotropically found in animals. Well-described examples include avian, murine and primate retroviruses. Two human retroviruses are especially important pathogens. These are the HIV and the human T-cell leukemia virus, HTLV. HIV causes AIDS while HTLV-I is the etiological agent for adult T-cell leukemia. There is a large amount of basic research being conducted on HIV and HTLV-I spanning gene expression, virus structure-assembly, integration, replication, and pathogenesis. Retro virology intends to cover these areas of human and animal retrovirus research.

• Risk factors for acquisition, infectivity, progression and transmission of HIV
• Epidemiology of opportunistic infections and co-infections
• Molecular epidemiology
• Diagnosis of HIV infection (detection of acute and recent HIV infection,including self testing)
• Population-based surveys with HIV testing and viral load in epidemiology studies.

The Immune system is composed of cells, organs, and proteins that work together to protect the body from viruses, bacteria, and other invaders. The immune response is the way in which your body recognizes and defends itself against bacteria, viruses, and other substances that are foreign and harmful. It is the job of the immune system to protect our bodies from harmful invaders by recognizing and responding to antigens. Typically proteins, antigens reside of the surface of cells, viruses, fungi, or bacteria, but antigens also may be non-living substances including toxins, chemicals, drugs, and foreign particles like splinters. The immune system remembers, recognizes, and destroys antigen-containing substances.

Co-infections or super-infections with a non-hepatitis virus are also possible, and for HIV population, it is quite common due to the similarities of the infection route. (About 40% of patients with HIV are co-infected with HCV.) For these conditions, the clinical symptoms and disease courses are usually more complex and serious than a single viral infection case. Although super or co-infections can make the disease more severe and its progression faster, there is also the possibility that one of the agents, such as HCV, could help promote the clearings of the other virus, such as HBV, from the body. HCV could also take over the position of HBV and become the major virus to cause persistent chronic infection.

Diagnosis of HIV infection can be carried out by detecting any of the following test Antibodies to HIV, P24 HIV antigen and HIV nucleic acid (RNA/DNA). The most commonly used method for the diagnosis of HIV infection is detection of anti-HIV antibodies in serum/plasma. It is economical, rapid and can be performed easily in most laboratories. HIV antibody assays are now commercially available in various formats. It is necessary to differentiate between HIV-1 and HIV-2 infections as the treatment varies for the two types. HIV-2 is intrinsically resistant to NNRTI drugs.

Adults with immunodeficiencies are much more likely to suffer from molluscum contagiosum. Approximately 90% of patients who are HIV-positive have skin lesions of some sort, including molluscum contagiosum. In one study, 18% of patients who were HIV positive were found to have molluscum contagiosum (Rane et al., 2014).  Immunogenetics helps in understanding the pathogenesis of several autoimmune and infectious diseases and bacterial infections under clinical studies of STDs.

Mother-to-child transmission of HIV is the spread of HIV from an HIV-infected woman to her child during pregnancy, childbirth (also called labor and delivery), or breastfeeding. Mother-to-child transmission of HIV is also called perinatal transmission of HIV. Mother-to-child transmission is the most common way that children become infected with HIV. The HIV medicine reduces the risk of infection from any HIV that may have entered a baby’s body during childbirth.

HIV pathogenesis is a fascinating topic that requires further study. Understanding of the exact mechanism of how these factors influencing HIV pathogenesis is critical to the development of effective strategies to prevent infection.

The connection between HIV/AIDS and certain cancers is not completely understood, but the link likely depends on a weakened immune system. Most types of cancer begin when healthy cells change and grow out of control, forming a mass called a tumor. A tumor can be cancerous or benign. A cancerous tumor is malignant, meaning it can grow and spread to other parts of the body. A benign tumor means the tumor can grow but will not spread. The types of cancer most common for people with HIV/AIDS are described in more detail below.

People with HIV/AIDS have an increased risk of developing the following cancers:

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  Kaposi sarcoma


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  Non-Hodgkin lymphoma


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  Cervical cancer