AIDS Fundamentals Midterm Study Materials

Prior to the rise of "Germ theory", epidemics were thought to be caused by

1. Immoral Behavior

2. Foreigners

3. Punishment by Gods

What is R0, and it it be changed by public health interventions?

The number of people infected (on average) by an infected person. Cannot be changed by public health interventions

What is the most effective way to prevent influenza related deaths?

Vaccination

Why did Polio only become an epidemic in the early 1950's, even though it has been around for thousands of years?

Due to improved sanitation

What are Koch postulates?

A set of rules to determine if a disease is caused by a pathogen

Globally, men who have sex with men are

not the group with highest risk to be infected with HIV

Outside of Africa, men who have sex with men are

the group with highest risk to be infected with HIV

Which region of the world has the highest number of people living with HIV?

Africa

What do all viruses have in common?

1. They only grow inside living cells

2. They do not carry ribosomes

What is the central dogma of molecular biology?

DNA -> RNA -> Protein

Naked viruses can be decontaminated by soap while enveloped viruses require harsher chemicals.

FALSE

Why is it hard to create antiviral medicines?

1. Viruses uses the host machinery for replication

2. Rapid evolution of viruses

Why during COVID there where almost no Influenza cases detected?

Due to lock-downs, masks and social distancing

Which of the following is NOT a stage in the viral life cycle?

Immunity

What are the reasons for the high genetic diversity exhibited by viruses?

1. Large population size

2. Short generation time

3. High mutation rate

Which three pathogens caused the most human death throughout history?

1. Plague

2. Smallpox

3. Measles

Which of the following are proteins function?

1. Structural proteins

2. Defensive proteins

3. Receptor proteins

4. Enzymatic proteins

What are the 3 layers of the immune system?

1. Physical barriers

2. Innate Immunity

3. Adaptive Immunity

The innate immune system is not specific to any given pathogen while the adaptive immune system is, true or false?

TRUE

The innate immune system uses PRRs to detect PAMPs, true or false?

TRUE

Which of the following is a cell type of the adaptive immune system?

CD8 T-cell

CD4 T-cell

How many signals are needed to activate a B-cell?

2

Which cells are responsible to coordinate the adaptive immune response?

CD4 T-cells

Both T-cell receptors and antibodies are generated by combinatorial diversity

Which of the following is correct

A) An APC presents an antigen to a CD8 cell

B) An APC presents an antigen to a CD4 cell

C) An APC presents an antigen to a macrophage

D) An APC presents an antigen to a B cell

B) An APC presents an antigen to a CD4 cell

Affinity maturation is the process responsible for immune memory

FALSE

Which of the following is an entry route used by HIV?

1. Mother to child

2. Broken Skin

3. Sex

Which of these features are hallmarks of of the HIV life cycle?

Integration

Reverse transcription

Latency

What is the function of the HIV protease?

To cleave the viral poly-proteins

In which cells does HIV remains in a latent state?

Memory T cells

Integration of the viral genome into the host genome is precise in respect to the viral genome, true or false?

TRUE

In the window period following HIV infection, a person is infected but testing can result in a false negative, true or false?

TRUE

Why does current ART involve two or more drug combinations?

To avoid the emergence of drug resistance

Which of the following are drug targets for HIV?

Intergarse

Reverse transcriptase

What is "viral suppression"?

When HIV is not detected in the blood during ART, making the patient not infectious

Which of the following are hallmarks of AIDS

Low CD4 counts in the blood

Opportunistic infections

The steady state viral load of HIV determines/does not determine how fast a person will progress to AIDS

The steady state viral load of HIV does not determines/determines which antiviral drugs should be given to the patient

The steady state viral load of HIV determines how fast a person will progress to AIDS

The steady state viral load of HIV does not determines which antiviral drugs should be given to the patient

Why do we treat HIV positive people with ART (anti retroviral therapy)?

1. To prevent them from infecting other people

2. To prevent them from progressing to AIDS

What is/are the reason/s for ART treatment failure (not achieving viral suppression)?

Poor adherence to medications

Viral resistance to drugs

Drugs side effects

Is there a gap in life expectancy when comparing HIV positive people receiving ART who maintain viral suppression to the general population?

YES

What do SARS-CoV-2 and HIV have in common?

Have RNA genomes

Translate poly-proteins

Have antivirals against them

How many coronaviruses have recently emerged and caused epidemics in the human population?

3

What are the major driving forces for the appearance of new variants of SARS-CoV-2?

Adaption to the new human host

Escape from our immune system

Which SARS-CoV-2 proteins are targeted by current antiviral drugs?

RNA polymerase

Protease

Why do we need to get an updated vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 every winter?

Viral evolution in the spike protein