HIV/AIDS

By completing this question set, you will be able to trace the HIV lifecycle from attachment through budding and map each step to the drug class that targets it. You will explain why HIV is uniquely devastating by connecting gp120-CD4 binding to progressive helper T-cell destruction, and describe the four mechanisms of CD4+ T-cell depletion. You will identify the three phases of untreated HIV infection from clinical and laboratory features, interpret the diagnostic testing algorithm (4th-generation test → differentiation assay → NAT), and explain the window period concept. You will apply the CD4 count → opportunistic infection threshold framework to predict which infections a patient is at risk for at a given CD4 count, and select appropriate prophylactic agents. You will distinguish AIDS-defining conditions from non-AIDS conditions. You will map ART drug classes to lifecycle steps, describe the standard regimen structure, and recognize immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) from its clinical presentation. Finally, you will select appropriate HIV prevention strategies (PrEP, PEP, U=U) for clinical scenarios.