************Definitions***********

Jasmine Shaw
Team: A
Date: June 1, 2007

**Key Terms**

**H.I.V.
Human- consist of people
Immune- protect from a disease
Deficiency- the amount lacked
Virus- infectious agent that replicates only within the cells of living hosts

A retrovirus that causes AIDS by infecting Helper T cells of the immune system. The most common serotype, HIV-1, is distributed worldwide, while HIV-2 is primarily confined to West Africa.

**A.I.D.S.
Acquired- develop
Immune- protect from a disease
Deficiency- the amount lacked
Syndrome- association of several clinically recognizable features

A disease of the immune system characterized by increased susceptibility to opportunistic infections, as pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and candidiasis, to certain cancers, as Kaposi's sarcoma, and to neurological disorders: caused by a retrovirus and transmitted chiefly through blood or blood products that enter the body's bloodstream, esp. by sexual contact or contaminated hypodermic needles.

**Helper T cells
Known as white blood cell, help fight infection diseases

**Retrovirus
A RNA virus that reproduces by makes itself in to DNA

**Body Fluids
Any fluid in the human body, such as blood, urine, saliva, sputum (spit), tears, semen, mother's milk or vaginal secretions. Only blood, semen, mother's milk and vaginal secretions have been linked directly to the transmission of the HIV virus.
**CD4 (T4) or CD4+ CELLS
White blood cells killed or disabled during HIV infection. These cells normally orchestrate the immune response, signaling other cells in the immune system to perform their special functions. Also known as T helper cells. 2. HIV's preferred targets are cells that have a docking molecule called cluster designation 4 (CD4) on their surfaces. Cells with this molecule are known as CD4-positive (or CD4+) cells. Destruction of CD4+ lymphocytes is the major cause of the immunodeficiency observed in AIDS, and decreasing CD4+ lymphocyte levels appear to be the best indicator of morbidity in these patients. Although CD4 counts fall, the total T-cell level remains fairly constant through the course of HIV disease, due to a concomitant increase in the CD8+ cells. The ratio of CD4+ to CD8+ cells is therefore an important measure of disease progression. See also CD Nomenclature; CD8 (T8) Cells; Immunodeficiency.



**Prevention**
**Abstinence
No vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse.

**Condom
A thin sheath, usually of very thin rubber, worn over the penis during sexual intercourse to prevent conception or sexually transmitted disease.
**4 Ways it is Transmitted**
**Blood
The fluid that circulates in the principal vascular system of human beings and other vertebrates

**Semen
The viscid, whitish fluid produced in the male reproductive organs, containing spermatozoa

**Vaginal Fluids
Vaginal lubrication is the naturally produced lubricating fluid that reduces friction during sexual intercourse. Vaginal dryness is the condition where this lubrication is insufficient.

**Breast milk
Milk that is produced in small sac-like glands of a human breast, esp. for feeding babies

**Treatments**

**Cocktail
Three or more anti-HIV medications in a daily regimen

**AZT
Azidothymidine (also called zidovudine or ZDV; the Burroughs-Wellcome trade name is Retrovir). One of the first drugs used against HIV infection, AZT is a nucleoside analog that suppresses replication of HIV. See also Nucleoside Analog.