Term Papers on AIDS And Its Causes

Term Paper Title	AIDS And Its Causes
# of Words	1008
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	4.03

AIDS and Its Causes

1.INTRODUCTION

     In June 1981, the centers for The Disease Control of the United States
reported that five young homosexual men in the Los Angels area had contracted
Pneumocystis Carinii pneumonia( a kind of pneumonia that is particularly found
in AIDS patient). 2 of the patients had  died. This report signalled the
begninning of an epidemic of a viral disease characterized by immunosuppression
associated with opportunistic infection( an infection caused by a microrganism
that does not normally produce disease in human; it occurs in persons with
abnomality functioning immune system), secondary neoplasms( any abnormal growth
of new tissue, benign or malignant) and neurologic mainfestation, which has come
to be known as AIDS.
     Though Aids was first discovered in U.S.A, AIDS has been reported from
more than 163 countries around the world and an estimated 10 million people are
infected worldwide. Worsestill, the pool of HIV- infected persons in Africa is
large and expanding.

2.RISK GROUP AND MODE OF TRANSMISSION

     Studies in the U.S.A. have retentified five groups of adults at risk for
developing AIDS. The case distribution in these groups are as follows: (1).
Homosexuals or bisexual males constitute the largest group, about 60% of the
reported cases. This includes 5% who were intravenuous drug as well. (2).
Intravenous drug users with no previous history of homosexuality compose the
next largest group, about 23% of all patients. (3). Hemophiliacs (the people who
have inborn disease characterized by excesssive bleeding and occuring only in
males) especially those who received factor VIII concentrate before 1985, about
1% of all patients. (4). Recipents of blood and blood components who are not
hemophiliacs but who received tranfusions of HIV-infected whole blood components
(e.g. platelet, plasma) account for 2 %. (5). Other high risk groups:  86% of
patients acquire disease through heterosexual contacts with members of other
high risk groups. 80% of children with AIDS have a HIV-infected parents and
suffer from   transplacental or perinatal transmission.
     Thus from the preceding discussion, it should be aparent that
transmission of HIV occurs under conditions that facilitate exchange of  blood
fluids containing the virus-infected cells. Hence, the three major routes of
transmission are sexual contact , parenteral routes( ie adminstration of a
substance not through the digestive system) and the passage of the virus from
infected mothers to their new borns where are mainly by three routes: in the
womb by transplacental spread, during delivery through a infected birth canal,
and after birth by ingestion of breast milk.

3. CAUSES

     It is little doubt that AIDS is caused by HIV-I, a human type C
retrovirus ( RNA virus the contains the enzyme, reverse transcriptase , to
replicate its RNA genome to DNA) in the same family as the animal lentivirus
family. It is also closely related to HIV- II, which cause a similiar disease,
primarily in Africa.

3.1 Biology of HIV-I  ( please refer to fig. 1)

     HIV is a retrovirus inducing immunodeficiency by destruction of target T
cells. Like most C-type retrovirus, it is spherical and contains a electron-
dense core surrounded by a lipid envelop derived from the host cell membrane.
The virus core contains four core ...

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