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HIV Disease
Early syphilis is difficult to detect because the blood tests are not positive right away. Later on, there are blood tests that can look for the presence of the organism or the antibodies to the organism. Screening tests are done on all pregnant women because of the risk of passing on the infection to the fetus. Screening is also done on men who have sex with men. The best prevention is not having sex with an infected person and using condoms. There is no vaccine for the disease.
Antibiotics can be given for all stages of the disease. Penicillin treats all cases but there are other choices for people who are allergic to penicillin. Treating late infections do not treat the patient’s damage that has already occurred.
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HIV DISEASE
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus; it is a type of retrovirus that leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS. In AIDS, the individual develops extremely low levels of helper T cells, which are important in fighting off infections. Macrophages and dendritic calls in the immune system are also targeted. The person with HIV disease can have an increased risk of rare opportunistic infections and unusual types of cancer. The average age of survival in the untreated patient is 10 years.
HIV disease can be gotten from sexual transmission or exposure to blood products. Vaginal fluids, ejaculate, and pre-ejaculate all contain the virus. Saliva cannot transmit HIV disease. If the HIV-positive patient has an undetectable viral load because of treatment, they are not able to transmit the virus. Pregnancy can lead to vertical transmission of the virus both in utero and at the time of birth. Breast milk contains the virus as well.
HIV is a retrovirus, meaning it does not contain DNA in its genome but instead contains RNA. It is an enveloped virus, meaning it has a lipid or fatty outer layer that has been targeted as a possible means of developing a vaccine for the virus. While most people associate HIV with its effect on the human helper T cell, it can also get into macrophages, microglial cells, and dendritic cells—all of which help to “eat” pathogens as part of the immune response.
