HIV-1 and HIV-2 are retroviruses in the Retroviridae family, Lentivirus genus. They are enveloped, diploid, single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses with a DNA intermediate, which is an integrated viral genome (a provirus) that persists within the host-cell DNA.

The structure of HIV HIV is called a retrovirus because it works in a back-to-front way. Unlike other viruses, retroviruses store their genetic information using RNA instead of DNA, meaning they need to ‘make’ DNA when they enter a human cell in order to make new copies of themselves.

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. If HIV is not treated, it can lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). Learning the basics about HIV can keep you healthy and prevent HIV transmission.

HIV viral load (or ‘HIV RNA’) HIV viral load tests measure the amount of HIV in the blood. Lower levels are better than higher levels. The main goal of HIV drugs is to reduce the HIV viral load to an “undetectable” level, meaning that the HIV RNA is below the level that the test is able to count.

Missing doses of HIV medicines can reduce their usefulness and increase the possibility of developing drug resistance, which makes certain HIV drugs lose their effectiveness. If you realize you have missed a dose, go ahead and take the medication as soon as you can, then take the next dose at your usual scheduled time.

Good protein sources include lean meats, poultry, fish, low-fat dairy foods, eggs, beans and lentils. Include a variety of vitamin and mineral rich foods. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean protein choices contain vitamins and minerals that help the body function.

A person’s viral load is considered “durably undetectable” when all viral load test results are undetectable for at least six months after their first undetectable test result. This means that most people will need to be on treatment for 7 to 12 months to have a durably undetectable viral load.

RNA viruses exploit all known mechanisms of genetic variation to ensure their survival. Distinctive features of RNA virus replication include high mutation rates, high yields, and short replication times. As a consequence, RNA viruses replicate as complex and dynamic mutant swarms, called viral quasispecies.

They actively modify host cell membranes to construct viral replication scaffolds. There are three groups of RNA viruses whose genomes are not mRNAs. They are the negative- or minus-strand RNA viruses, the closely related ambisense RNA viruses, and double-stranded RNA viruses.

The RNA world is a hypothetical stage in the evolutionary history of life on Earth, in which self-replicating RNA molecules proliferated before the evolution of DNA and proteins. Alternative chemical paths to life have been proposed, and RNA-based life may not have been the first life to exist.

1.1. RNA Viruses. Human diseases causing RNA viruses include Orthomyxoviruses, Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), Ebola disease, SARS, influenza, polio measles and retrovirus including adult Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Most viruses have either RNA or DNA as their genetic material. The nucleic acid may be single- or double-stranded. The entire infectious virus particle, called a virion, consists of the nucleic acid and an outer shell of protein. The simplest viruses contain only enough RNA or DNA to encode four proteins.

They have the largest RNA genome among viruses. Coronaviruses consist of a single strand of RNA bound by protein and wrapped in an “envelope” of lipid molecules. Among known viruses that use RNA (instead of DNA) as their genetic material, they have the largest continuous genome, about 30,000 nucleotides long.

DNA virus: A virus in which the genetic material is DNA rather than RNA. The DNA may be either double- or single-stranded. Major groups of double-stranded DNA viruses (class I viruses) include the adenoviruses, the herpes viruses, and the poxviruses.

RNA viruses generally have very high mutation rates compared to DNA viruses, because viral RNA polymerases lack the proofreading ability of DNA polymerases. The genetic diversity of RNA viruses is one reason why it is difficult to make effective vaccines against them.

There are 180 currently recognised species of RNA virus that can infect humans and, on average, 2 new species are added every year.

The virion nucleic acid of Ebola virus consists of a single-stranded RNA with a molecular weight of approximately 4.0 x 10(6).

The outbreak has lasted a year and a half already, having been first declared by the DRC Ministry of Health on August 1, 2018. There are ongoing concerns about cross-border spread outside the DRC. Since July 2019, the outbreak has been considered a “public health emergency of international concern” (PHEIC) by WHO.