Pathogenesis (development of disease)
Infection with HIV can occur through unprotected coitus (sexual intercourse), contaminated blood products, or from mother to child (horizontal transmission). In the body, the virus binds to the CD4 receptor site of T helper cells and others. The virus then penetrates the infected cell and then converts the RNA into double-stranded DNA using reverse transcriptase. The virus spreads throughout the body and causes immunodeficiency (immune deficiency), which later leads to AIDS-defining diseases.
Etiology (causes)
Behavioral causes
- Drug use (intravenous, i.e., through the vein).
- Needle sharing – sharing needles and other injection equipment among drug abusers.
- Unprotected sex – unprotected anal intercourse/anal sex is the highest risk practice for both individuals (receptive 0.82% per contact, insertive 0.07% per contact); unprotected vaginal intercourse is considered the second highest risk route of infection
Disease-related causes
- Infection with the nematode Wuchereria bancrofti (2.17-fold).
- Immunocompromised individuals
- Patients with a sexually transmitted infection (STI), such as gonorrhea (gonorrhea) or syphilis (syphilis), have a two- to tenfold higher risk of HIV transmission by an HIV-positive person (due toSTI-related lesions or ulcers/vulcers); likewise, an HIV-positive patient with an STI is more contagious (contagious)
- Vaginal flora (vaginal flora) deficient in Lactobacillus bacteria (4-fold increased risk in young women from a high-endemic region in South Africa).
Other causes
