Download HIV CURRICULUM GLOSSARY

GLOSSARY
ABSTINENCE
Refraining voluntarily or going without, particularly from
food, alcoholic beverages, or sexual activity. In the context
of HIV/AIDS, this term refers to refraining from sexual
activity.
ACUTE ILLNESS
An illness that begins suddenly and usually lasts a
relatively short time. Example: pneumonia, strep throat.
AIDS
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The most severe
manifestation of infection with HIV (human
immunodeficiency virus). AIDS and HIV are not the same
thing. AIDS is a late stage of the illness resulting from
infection with HIV. It is characterized by a CD4 count of
less than 200 and/or certain defining conditions, usually
opportunistic infections or cancers.
ANTIBODY
A unique protein produced by the body in response to a
specific virus, bacteria, etc.
ANTIGEN
Any substance that antagonizes or stimulates the immune
system to produce antibodies (i.e., proteins that fight
antigens). Antigens are often foreign substances such as
bacteria or viruses that invade the body.
ANTIRETROVIRAL
A category of medications that can help slow the progress
of HIV disease. Examples: AZT, ddI, nevirapine,
saquinavir, others.
ASYMPTOMATIC
Showing no signs of a disease though infected by it. An
HIV-infected person who is asymptomatic may not be
aware of his/her status but can still infect others.
BACTERIUM
A microscopic organism composed of a single cell. Many
bacteria cause disease in humans.
11
BODY FLUIDS
Any fluid in the human body, such as blood, urine, saliva
(spit), sputum, 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
HIV.
CASUAL CONTACT
Everyday contact at home, school, office, restaurants, etc.
that does not involve exchange of blood or sexual fluids.
An HIV-infected person cannot transmit HIV to an
uninfected person through casual contact.
CD4 CELL
The type of white blood cell that is attacked by HIV.
People who are infected with HIV often have too few CD4
cells. These cells play an important role in the working of
the immune system. (Also known as T-cell, T-4 cell, Thelper cell.)
CD4 CELL COUNT
AND PERCENTAGE
A test that determines the number of CD4 cells in the
blood. Helps to monitor the effect of HIV on the immune
system.
CHRONIC ILLNESS
A continuous or persistent medical problem of long
duration. Example: HIV, diabetes
COMBINATION THERAPY
A combination of 2 or more anti-HIV medicines.
Often combination therapy works better than one drug
alone. Also called HAART (highly active antiretroviral
therapy).
CONFIDENTIAL
Private. Confidential information can be shared only with
the explicit permission of the person concerned or his/her
guardian.
12
CONTAGIOUS
Any infectious disease capable of being transmitted by
casual contact between persons. Casual contact can be
defined as normal day-to-day contact among people at
home, school, work or in the community. A contagious
pathogen (for example, chicken pox) can be transmitted by
casual contact.
ELISA
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. A type of test to
determine the presence of antibodies to HIV in the blood or
oral fluids. Repeatedly reactive (positive) ELISA tests
should be validated with another test of high specificity,
most often the Western Blot test.
FUNGUS
An organism that causes infections, such as thrush. They
can be difficult to treat and often occur in persons with
weakened immune systems.
HAART
Highly active antiretroviral therapy. A number of
medications given together to treat HIV. See Combination
Therapy.
HIV
Human Immunodeficiency Virus. A virus that attacks the
immune system, making the body unable to fight infection.
HIV is not AIDS, but is the virus that causes AIDS. HIV
can take years to develop into AIDS. It is transmitted
through direct contact with the body fluids (blood, semen,
vaginal secretions, and breast milk) of an infected person.
HIV was first identified in 1983.
HIV CULTURE
A blood test for HIV that detects the virus itself.
HIV NEGATIVE
A person who is not infected with HIV and has had a test to
indicate the lack of the virus or its antibodies.
HIV POSITIVE
A person who is infected with HIV and has had a test to
show the presence of the virus or its antibodies.
13
IMMUNODEFICIENCY
A breakdown or inability of certain parts of the immune
system to function, thus making the individual susceptible
to certain diseases that would not ordinarily develop.
IMMUNE SYSTEM
The body’s defense against infection and disease.
Immunity is the body’s ability to identify infectious agents
and to neutralize or eliminate them. HIV destroys a
person’s immune system leaving them open to
opportunistic infections and cancers that the body is then
unable to fight.
IMMUNOCOMPETENT
Capable of developing an immune response. Possessing a
normal immune system.
IMMUNOCOMPROMISED
Refers to an immune system in which the ability to
resist or fight off infections and cancers is subnormal.
INFECTION
The state or condition in which the body (or part of the
body) is invaded by an infectious agent (eg, a bacterium,
fungus, or virus), which multiplies and produces an
injurious effect (active infection).
INFECTIOUS
Communicable by direct or intimate contact (for example,
sexual activity). HIV is an infectious disease, not
transmitted by casual contact.
LONG-TERM NONPROGRESSORS
Individuals who have been living with HIV
for at least 7 to 12 years (different authors use different
time spans) and have stable CD4/T cell counts of 600 or
more cells, no HIV-related diseases, and no previous
antiretroviral therapy. Data suggest that this phenomenon is
associated with the maintenance of the integrity of the
lymphoid tissues and with less virus trapping in the lymph
nodes than is seen in other individuals living with HIV.
OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTION
Illnesses caused by various organisms, some of
which usually do not cause disease in persons with normal
immune systems. Persons living with advanced HIV
infection suffer opportunistic infections of the lungs, brain,
14
eyes, and other organs. Opportunistic infections common in
persons diagnosed with AIDS include Pneumocystis carinii
pneumonia; Kaposi’s sarcoma; cryptosporidiosis;
histoplasmosis; other parasitic, viral, and fungal infections;
and some types of cancer.
PERINATAL TRANSMISSION
Transmission of a pathogen, such as HIV, from
mother to baby before, during, or after the birth process.
Ninety percent of children reported with HIV infection
acquired it from their HIV+ mothers. Mother to baby
transmission is also called vertical transmission.
PROTEASE INHIBITORS
Medications that attach to and block the HIV protease
enzyme, present in the HIV-infected person, preventing
production of new HIV.
RETROVIRUS
A virus, such as HIV, that replicates by a process that is the
reverse of that normally used by viruses. A retrovirus uses
the DNA of the host cell to make copies of itself.
RISK REDUCTION
Process by which an individual changes behavior so as to
decrease the likelihood of acquiring an infection.
SEROCONVERSION
The process by which a person’s antibody status converts
from being negative (uninfected) to positive (infected).
After transmission of HIV it takes several months for the
immune system to create antibodies that will show the
presence of the virus. During this time the person is
infectious and can transmit HIV.
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE (STD) Infections spread by the transfer of
organisms from person to person during sexual contact.
The complexity and scope of STDs have increased
dramatically since the 1980s; more than 20 organisms and
syndromes, including HIV, are now recognized as
belonging in this category.
STANDARD PRECAUTIONS
The universal application of blood and body fluid
precautions designed to reduce the risk of transmission of
15
bloodborne pathogens. Previously called Universal
Precautions.
SYNDROME
A group of symptoms as reported by the patient and signs
as detected in a medical examination that together are
characteristic of a specific condition. For example,
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
T CELL
See CD4 cell.
VACCINE
A substance made from killed or living infectious agents(s),
medically administered to stimulate immunity by causing
the production of antibodies against future infection by that
agent. There is as yet no vaccine against HIV.
VIRUS
An invading organism that disrupts normal cell functions
by causing the invaded cell to behave in a determined by
the genetic information contained in the virus.
WESTERN BLOT
A laboratory test that is used to confirm HIV infection
when the ELISA test is repeatedly positive.
Sources:
Watstein, Sarah and Chandler, Karen, The AIDS Dictionary, New York, Facts on File,
Inc., 1998.
HIV/AIDS Treatment Director, American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), New
York, 2001.
16