Clinical VignetteQuestion 1 of 23
Drug-Free Passage
A 32-year-old man comes to the HIV clinic for a routine follow-up visit. He was diagnosed with HIV-1 infection 6 months ago and started on antiretroviral therapy with tenofovir/emtricitabine (nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors) and dolutegravir (integrase strand transfer inhibitor). He has been adherent to therapy. Today, his HIV RNA viral load is <50 copies/mL (undetectable). The patient asks how these medications work together to control the virus. The physician explains that the regimen targets multiple steps in the HIV lifecycle by blocking specific viral enzymes.
Which of the following steps in the HIV replication cycle cannot be targeted by any currently available antiretroviral drug class?