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Molecular methods for HIV screening/detection

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Molecular methods for HIV screening/detection

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Hey guys. I found more information regarding the methods that are currently used to detect HIV.  HIV screening is basically done to know whether a person is carrying the deadly virus or not. HIV is the causative agent of AIDS. AIDS is the most advanced case of HIV, and has killed millions due to lack of proper preventive methods. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) recommends the mass ranging from 13 to 64 years old to get tested for HIV at least once, and people will high risk to get tested more often. CDC also recommends that all pregnant women get tested for HIV as early as possible upon conceiving. According to the authors of medicinenet.com, HIV testing is a two-step process. The first step involves testing for HIV specific proteins such as antibodies or antigens. Samples of the saliva or blood can be used. If a person tests as positive in the first test, a Western blot is performed to validate the antibody test. The website further states that if a person is positive for both the tests, then the chances of that person carrying the HIV is more than 99%. Sometimes, false-negative results are produced as well due to performing the HIV screening test very soon after infection when the antibody have not developed to the threshold level.

References used:
1. https://aidsinfo.nih.gov/understanding-hiv-aids/fact-sheets/19/47/hiv-testing
2. https://www.medicinenet.com/hiv_testing/article.htm

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So here Im going to share about the basics of HIV prevention. Hope everyone can learn and spread it to your friends or family !

Get tested and know your partner’s HIV status.

Have less risky sex.

Use condoms.

Limit your number of sexual partners.

Get tested and treated for STDs.

Talk to your health care provider about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

Don’t inject drugs.

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The Basics of HIV Prevention

Last Reviewed: October 30, 2018

How is HIV spread?

The person-to-person spread of HIV is called HIV transmission. HIV is transmitted (spread) only in certain body fluids from a person who has HIV:

HIV transmission is only possible if these fluids come in contact with a mucous membrane or damaged tissue or are directly injected into the bloodstream (from a needle or syringe). Mucous membranes are found inside the rectum, the vagina, the opening of the penis, and the mouth.

In the United States, HIV is spread mainly by:

Having anal or vaginal sex with someone who has HIV without using a condom or taking medicines to prevent or treat HIV

Sharing injection drug equipment ("works"), such as needles, with someone who has HIV

HIV can also spread from a woman with HIV to her child during pregnancy, childbirth (also called labor and delivery), or breastfeeding. This spread of HIV is called mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

In the past, some people were infected with HIV after receiving a blood transfusion or organ or tissue transplant from a donor with HIV. Today, this risk is very low because donated blood, organs, and tissues are carefully tested in the United States.

You can't get HIV from casual contact with a person who has HIV, for example from a handshake, a hug, or a closed-mouth kiss. And you can't get HIV from contact with objects such as toilet seats, doorknobs, or dishes used by a person who has HIV. Use the AIDS info You Can Safely Share...With Someone With HIV infographic to spread this message.

How can I reduce my risk of getting HIV?

Anyone can get HIV, but you can take steps to protect yourself from HIV infection.

Get tested and know your partner's HIV status. Talk to your partner about HIV testing and get tested before you have sex. Use this testing locator from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to find an HIV testing location near you.

Have less risky sex. HIV is mainly spread by having anal or vaginal sex without a condom or without taking medicines to prevent or treat HIV.

Use condoms. Use a condom correctly every time you have sex. Read this fact sheet from CDC on how to use condoms correctly.

Limit your number of sexual partners. The more partners you have, the more likely you are to have a partner with HIV whose HIV is not well controlled or to have a partner with a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Both of these factors can increase the risk of HIV transmission.

Get tested and treated for STDs. Insist that your partners get tested and treated too. Having an STD can increase your risk of becoming infected with HIV or spreading it to others.

Talk to your health care provider about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP is an HIV prevention option for people who don't have HIV but who are at high risk of becoming infected with HIV. PrEP involves taking a specific HIV medicine every day. For more information, read the AIDSinfo fact sheet on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).

Don't inject drugs. But if you do, use only sterile drug injection equipment and water and never share your equipment with others.

I am HIV positive but my partner is HIV negative. How can I protect my partner from HIV?

Take HIV medicines daily. Treatment with HIV medicines (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) helps people with HIV live longer, healthier lives. ART can't cure HIV infection, but it can reduce the amount of HIV in the body (also called the viral load). A main goal of ART is to reduce a person's viral load to an undetectable level. An undetectable viral load means that the level of HIV in the blood is too low to be detected by a viral load test. People with HIV who maintain an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to their HIV-negative partner through sex.

Here are some other steps you can take to protect your partner from HIV:

Use condoms correctly every time you have sex.

Talk to your partner about taking PrEP.

If you inject drugs, don't share your needles, syringes, or other drug equipment with your partner.

Are HIV medicines used in other situations to prevent HIV infection?

Yes, HIV medicines are also used for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)
PEP is the use of HIV medicines to reduce the risk of HIV infection soon after a possible exposure to HIV. PEP may be used, for example, after a person has sex without a condom with a person who has HIV or after a health care worker is accidentally exposed to HIV in the workplace. To be effective, PEP must be started within 3 days after the possible exposure to HIV. PEP involves taking HIV medicines each day for 28 days. For more information, read the AIDSinfo fact sheet on Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP).

Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
Women with HIV take HIV medicines during pregnancy and childbirth to reduce the risk of passing HIV to their babies and to protect their own health. Their newborn babies also receive HIV medicine for 4 to 6 weeks after birth. The HIV medicine reduces the risk of infection from any HIV that may have entered a baby's body during childbirth. For more information, read the AIDSinfo fact sheet on Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV.

How can I learn more about preventing HIV?

Browse through the following information. This fact sheet is based on this information.

From CDC:

From the Department of Health and Human Services:

Recommendations for the Use of Antiretroviral Drugs in Pregnant Women with HIV Infection and Interventions to Reduce Perinatal HIV Transmission in the United States:

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The Basics of HIV Prevention Understanding HIV/AIDS

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Last Reviewed: October 30, 2018 How is HIV spread? The person-to-person spread of HIV is called HIV transmission. HIV is transmitted (spread) only in certain body fluids from a person who has HIV: HIV transmission is only possible if these fluids come in contact with a mucous membrane or damaged tissue or are directly injected into the bloodstream (from a needle or syringe).

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This map summarizes current understanding of the global distribution of HIV-1 strains and subtypes.

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Hi guys! So here's some interesting info that I recently knew about HIV. Okay so, we already know that HIV has two types right? ((we've learned this in virology last semester)) ;)
If you guys have forgotten, HIV are divided into two main types which is HIV-1 and HIV-2. To make it simple, HIV-1 is basically the most common type of HIV and is globally widespread, less prevalent and mostly "less" pathogenic if compared to HIV-2. HIV-2 is most common in western Africa and is slowly becoming more common in India. Small numbers of cases have also been seen in Portugal, France, other European countries including the UK and the Americas.
The thing that I have recently found out is that, HIV have subtypes! And we can actually see which region in the globe on where these subtypes is most prevalent.
From what I've found, different subtypes of HIV is very significant because it will affect the treatment of a person with HIV positive. For instance, we've heard from our previous talk with Mr. Raymond Tai that if a person is HIV positive, they are recommended to go through ART (antiretroviral therapy) right? He also adds that nowadays, people with HIV positive can live like a normal person. Well, that is true as long as the person follow through their regime of medicine. If the person are not strict with the intake of their drugs, the HIV can possibly are not affected by ART.
Also, the whole point of knowing the subtypes of HIV is because some studies suggest that certain subtypes have a greater risk of transmission or faster disease progression than others.On the other hand, antiretroviral drugs (ART), although largely developed in relation to subtype B, have generally proven to be effective against a wide range of subtypes. However, infection with subtype C virus has been associated with poorer ART treatment outcomes in Sweden.
So, here is the subtype of HIV:

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Hi everyone, so here I want to share an interesting journal which related to our topic. From our talk with PT Foundation, we have already discussed a little bit about this issue and I hope from this journal everyone can share their thoughts as this is one of the big concern especially to HIV's patients.  This paper examines HIV-infected Asian Americans’ experiences with religion throughout the course of their illness and their family relationships.

As the number of Asians in the United States continues to grow, health professionals are beginning notice obvious gaps of knowledge in caring for this population, including HIV-infected individuals. Little is known about the impact of religion and faith on Asian Americans with HIV and their families. The study focuses on the participants’ reported experiences to understand the variety of roles religion can play in the progression of a highly stigmatized chronic disease.

An in-depth interview was conducted in San Francisco and New York City with 30 HIV-infected Asians. Narrative samples and summarized responses was used to highlight themes that emerged from the participants’ anecdotes. Interpretive content analysis was employed. These groups were categorized as (a) those who did not adhere to any religion, (b) those of tenuous religious faith with conflicted feelings, and (c) those of strong religious faith with congruent beliefs. Within these three groups, various themes were synthesized from the members’ perceptions and past experiences with religion. Within each group, participants displayed various stages of reconciliation with their current faith-related beliefs and escape the family stress from their religion practices. Each participant’s story shown the vast range of human understanding and faith experiences including self-actualization, acculturation, and depression. This research provides new insight on the challenge of managing HIV-infected patients in a culturally and religiously appropriate manner.

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Here is what i found after some research. STDs are infections that spread from person to person through sexual contact, including anal, vaginal, or oral sex. STDs are caused by bacteria, parasites, and viruses. One of the example is HIV.
Behaviors that put people at risk for HIV also increase their risk for infection with other STDs. These risky behaviors include the following:

Having anal, vaginal, or oral sex without a condom.

Having sex with many partners, especially anonymous partners.

Having sex while using drugs or alcohol. Using drugs and alcohol affects the brain, which can lead to poor decisions and risky behaviors.

STDs caused by bacteria or parasites can be treated with antibiotics. There’s no cure for STDs caused by viruses, but treatment can relieve symptoms and help keep the STD under control. For example, although there's no cure for HIV, ART can prevent HIV from advancing to AIDS.

Untreated STDs may lead to serious complications. For example, untreated gonorrhea in women can cause problems with pregnancy and infertility. Untreated HIV will eventually advance to AIDS and cause death.

I found a website that may help us to understand more about HIV and STD :

#Department of Health and Human Services: Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in HIV-Infected Adults and Adolescents

https://aidsinfo.nih.gov/guidelines/html/4/adult-and-adolescent-oi-prevention-and-treatment-guidelines/362/appendix-a--recommendations-to-help-hiv-infected-patients-avoid-exposure-to--or-infection-from--opportunistic-pathogens

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The role of highly active antiretroviral therapyand immune markers

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The role of highly active antiretroviral therapyand immune markers

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Please read them and share your thought guys !