The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) belongs
to the Lentivirus genus, a member of the Retroviridae family of enveloped,
single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses that replicate characteristically
in a host cell through the process of reverse transcription.
HIV is the etiological agent of acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) which affects the human immune system including CD4+ T
lymphocytes,
monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells.
Worldwide, more than 35 million people are
thought to live with HIV [2], of whom 69% reside in sub- Saharan Africa where
one adult in every 20 is HIV-positive [3]. The Centres for Disease Control and
Prevention estimate that in the USA approximately 50,000 people contract HIV
each year.
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