Question

what does hiv attack?

a) the lungs
b) genital secretions
c) the immune system
d) blood circulation

question 3 (5 points)
what is the most common method of hiv transmission?

a) having sex without use of prevention tools

Explanation:

🆕 New Concept Discovered: Viral Pathogenesis and Transmission
How viruses target specific body systems and spread.

Step 1: Identify the target of HIV

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. The name itself indicates its target: the immune system. Specifically, HIV infects and destroys vital cells in the human immune system, such as helper T cells (specifically \( \text{CD4}^+ \) T cells), macrophages, and dendritic cells. This weakens the body's ability to fight off infections and diseases.

• a) the lungs: Incorrect. While respiratory infections can occur due to a weakened immune system, HIV does not directly target lung tissue.
• b) genital secretions: Incorrect. Genital fluids can carry the virus, but they are a medium of transmission, not the target of the virus's attack.
• c) the immune system: Correct. HIV directly attacks and weakens the host's immune defense.
• d) blood circulation: Incorrect. The virus travels through the bloodstream, but its target is the immune cells within it, not the circulatory system itself.

Step 2: Identify the most common method of transmission

HIV is transmitted through contact with certain bodily fluids (blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, and breast milk) from a person with HIV. Globally and statistically, the most common route of transmission is through sexual contact without the use of prevention tools (such as condoms or pre-exposure prophylaxis).

• a) having sex without use of prevention tools: Correct. This is statistically the most common mode of HIV transmission worldwide.

Answer:

1. What does HIV attack?

• c) the immune system

1. What is the most common method of HIV transmission?

• a) having sex without use of prevention tools