HIV classification

Associate Editors-In-Chief: Ujjwal Rastogi, MBBS [mailto:urastogi@perfuse.org]

Overview
HIV is a member of the genus Lentivirus, part of the family of Retroviridae. Lentiviruses have many common morphologies and biological properties. Many species are infected by lentiviruses, which are characteristically responsible for long-duration illnesses with a long incubation period. Lentiviruses are transmitted as single-stranded, positive-sense, enveloped RNA viruses. Upon entry of the target cell, the viral RNA genome is converted to double-stranded DNA by a virally encoded reverse transcriptase that is present in the virus particle. This viral DNA is then integrated into the cellular DNA by a virally encodedintegrase so that the genome can be transcribed. Once the virus has infected the cell, two pathways are possible: either the virus becomes latent and the infected cell continues to function, or the virus becomes active and replicates, and a large number of virus particles are liberated that can then infect other cells.

Two species of HIV infect humans: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is thought to have originated in southern Cameroon after jumping from wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) to humans during the twentieth century. HIV-1 is the virus that was initially discovered and termed LAV. It is more virulent and relatively easy transmitted and is the cause of the majority of HIV infections globally. HIV-2 may have originated from the Sooty Mangabey (Cercocebus atys), an Old World monkey of Guinea-Bissau, Gabon, and Cameroon. HIV-2 is less transmittable than HIV-1 and is largely confined to West Africa.

Acute vs Chronic infection
Acute HIV infection or primary HIV infection (also known as "Acute seroconversion syndrome") is the second stage of HIV infection. It occurs after the incubation stage, before the latency stage and the potential AIDS succeeding the latency stage. To read more click here.

Chronic infection: A strong immune defense reduces the number of viral particles in the blood stream, marking the start of secondary or chronic HIV infection. During this phase of infection, HIV is active within lymph nodes, which typically become persistently swollen, in response to large amounts of virus that become trapped in the follicular dendritic cells (FDC) network.