Recent Insights into the HIV/AIDS Pandemic

Authors:

Juan C. Becerra1, Lukas S. Bildstein2, Johannes S. Gach1

doi: 10.15698/mic2016.09.529
Volume 3, pp. 451 to 475, published 05/09/2016.

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Affiliations:

1 Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.

2 Graphic Design, 6850 Dornbirn, Austria.

Keywords: 

HIV-1, AIDS, antiretroviral therapy, epidemiology, pathology, treatment, virus entry.

Corresponding Author(s):

Johannes S. Gach, PhD, University of California, Irvine, Division of Infectious Diseases Campus, 3501 Hewitt Hall, Irvine, CA 92697-74068, USA; Tel: +1 949-824-3365; Fax: +1 949 824-3365 jgach@uci.edu

Conflict of interest statement:

The authors declare that no competing interest exists.

Please cite this article as:

Juan C. Becerra, Lukas S. Bildstein, Johannes S. Gach (2016). Recent Insights into the HIV/AIDS Pandemic. Microbial Cell 3(9): 450-474. doi: 10.15698/mic2016.09.529

© 2016 Becerra et al. This is an open-access article released under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which allows the unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are acknowledged.

Abstract:

Etiology, transmission and protection: Transmission of HIV, the causative agent of AIDS, occurs predominantly through bodily fluids. Factors that significantly alter the risk of HIV transmission include male circumcision, condom use, high viral load, and the presence of other sexually transmitted diseases. Pathology/Symptomatology: HIV infects preferentially CD4+ T lymphocytes, and Monocytes. Because of their central role in regulating the immune response, depletion of CD4+ T cells renders the infected individual incapable of adequately responding to microorganisms otherwise inconsequential. Epidemiology, incidence and prevalence: New HIV infections affect predominantly young heterosexual women and homosexual men. While the mortality rates of AIDS related causes have decreased globally in recent years due to the use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) treatment, a vaccine remains an elusive goal. Treatment and curability: For those afflicted HIV infection remains a serious illness. Nonetheless, the use of advanced therapeutics have transformed a dire scenario into a chronic condition with near average life spans. When to apply those remedies appears to be as important as the remedies themselves. The high rate of HIV replication and the ability to generate variants are central to the viral survival strategy and major barriers to be overcome. Molecular mechanisms of infection: In this review, we assemble new details on the molecular events from the attachment of the virus, to the assembly and release of the viral progeny. Yet, much remains to be learned as understanding of the molecular mechanisms used in viral replication and the measures engaged in the evasion of immune surveillance will be important to develop effective interventions to address the global HIV pandemic.