W1: The AIDS Epidemic (Lecture Notes)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the AIDS epidemic lecture notes.

AIDS

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; advanced stage of HIV infection defined by AIDS-defining illnesses (opportunistic infections or certain cancers).

Pneumocystis pneumonia

An opportunistic infection (Pneumocystis jirovecii) observed in early AIDS cases and highlighted in the 1981 MMWR report.

Kaposi’s sarcoma

An aggressive skin cancer seen in some early AIDS patients; typically mild in older Mediterranean men but deadly in the described cases.

GRID

Gay-related immune deficiency; early name for AIDS before understanding transmission and risk groups.

Transmission routes

Ways AIDS spreads: sex, blood transfusion or needle sharing, and mother-to-child transmission.

LAV

The virus identified in 1983 by Barré-Sinoussi et al.; later renamed HIV.

HTLV-III

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III; name used by Gallo in 1984 for the AIDS virus, later identified as HIV.

HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus; the virus that attacks the immune system and can progress to AIDS; renamed in 1986.

HIV-1

The primary, most pathogenic HIV type worldwide responsible for the global AIDS pandemic.

HIV-2

A second HIV type identified in 1985; less pathogenic, slower progression, and less infectious early; shares transmission routes and antibody test with HIV-1.

SIV

Simian immunodeficiency virus; primate lentivirus related to HIV and used to trace the origin of HIV.

SIVsm

SIV strain from the sooty mangabey; genetically similar to HIV-2, supporting the origin of HIV-2.

SIVcpz

SIV strains from chimpanzees; Beatrice Hahn’s work links HIV-1 to chimpanzee infections in West Africa.

HIV naming change

In 1986 the virus was renamed HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) instead of LAV/HTLV-III.

WHO - Global Program on AIDS

WHO program established in 1986 to coordinate prevention and control, collect data, maintain virus resources, and advise on travel.

UNAIDS

United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS; established 1995; coordinates UN actions, resources, research directions, and education; maintains global infection data.

Mother-to-child transmission

Transmission of HIV from an infected mother to her child; first reported in Newark, NJ in 1983.

Gallo–Pasteur controversy

Dispute over who first identified the AIDS virus; settlement in 1987; Pasteur group identified the virus first, Gallo developed the test.

Origin of HIV (primates)

HIV is believed to have originated via cross-species transmission from African primates (SIV) to humans; HIV-1 linked to chimpanzees; HIV-2 linked to sooty mangabeys.