Patho: HIV Questions and Answers
Graded A+ 2026 Exam
What immune cells does HIV primarily infect and destroy? - Correct answer-CD4+
T-helper cells.
What virus causes AIDS? - Correct answer-Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Why does HIV cause opportunistic infections and malignancies? - Correct answer-
Depletion of CD4+ T-helper cells causes severe immunosuppression.
What was the approximate AIDS mortality rate after diagnosis before effective
ART? - Correct answer-Nearly 100% within 2 years (1980s).
What type of pathogen is HIV? - Correct answer-Blood-borne pathogen.
What are the major routes of HIV transmission? - Correct answer-Blood exposure,
IV drug use, sexual transmission, maternal-child transmission.
Through what route do most new HIV infections in the US occur? - Correct
answer-Sexual transmission.
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, What percent of new HIV infections in the US are from people undiagnosed or
untreated? - Correct answer-~91%.
How are healthcare workers protected from HIV transmission? - Correct answer-
Universal precautions and postexposure prophylaxis (PEP).
What type of virus is HIV? - Correct answer-Retrovirus.
What process do retroviruses use to replicate? - Correct answer-Reverse
transcription.
What type of genome does HIV contain? - Correct answer-Two identical copies of
single-stranded RNA.
What is the HIV capsid protein? - Correct answer-p24.
What is the function of reverse transcriptase? - Correct answer-Converts viral RNA
into complementary DNA (cDNA).
What does integrase do? - Correct answer-Inserts viral DNA into host DNA.
What is the function of HIV protease? - Correct answer-Cleaves polyproteins into
mature viral proteins.
Why is HIV protease necessary? - Correct answer-For the formation of infectious
virions.
©COPYRIGHT 2026, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
Graded A+ 2026 Exam
What immune cells does HIV primarily infect and destroy? - Correct answer-CD4+
T-helper cells.
What virus causes AIDS? - Correct answer-Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Why does HIV cause opportunistic infections and malignancies? - Correct answer-
Depletion of CD4+ T-helper cells causes severe immunosuppression.
What was the approximate AIDS mortality rate after diagnosis before effective
ART? - Correct answer-Nearly 100% within 2 years (1980s).
What type of pathogen is HIV? - Correct answer-Blood-borne pathogen.
What are the major routes of HIV transmission? - Correct answer-Blood exposure,
IV drug use, sexual transmission, maternal-child transmission.
Through what route do most new HIV infections in the US occur? - Correct
answer-Sexual transmission.
©COPYRIGHT 2026, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
, What percent of new HIV infections in the US are from people undiagnosed or
untreated? - Correct answer-~91%.
How are healthcare workers protected from HIV transmission? - Correct answer-
Universal precautions and postexposure prophylaxis (PEP).
What type of virus is HIV? - Correct answer-Retrovirus.
What process do retroviruses use to replicate? - Correct answer-Reverse
transcription.
What type of genome does HIV contain? - Correct answer-Two identical copies of
single-stranded RNA.
What is the HIV capsid protein? - Correct answer-p24.
What is the function of reverse transcriptase? - Correct answer-Converts viral RNA
into complementary DNA (cDNA).
What does integrase do? - Correct answer-Inserts viral DNA into host DNA.
What is the function of HIV protease? - Correct answer-Cleaves polyproteins into
mature viral proteins.
Why is HIV protease necessary? - Correct answer-For the formation of infectious
virions.
©COPYRIGHT 2026, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
