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Definition
| a specialized cell found in the blood that attacks and kills or attempts to kill a specific bacteria or virus |
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| Showing no outward sign of infection, not feeling sick |
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| Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: a collection of illnesses which signal that one's immune system has been damaged or suppressed by HIV infection |
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| Centers for Disease Conrol and prevention is the US government agency primarily tasked to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States |
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| testing in which no name is asked or given so that no one knows the identity of ther person being tested |
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Definition
| testing in which people must give a name but the information is kept secret |
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Definition
| highly active anti-retroviral therapy - agressive anti-HIV treatment whose purpose is to reduce viral load (infection) to undetectable levels |
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| helper t-lymphocytes (helper t-cells) |
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Definition
| these cells play an important role in fighting infection by attacking and killing foreign bodies in the blood stream. |
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Definition
| Human immunodeficiency virus - the virus shown to cause AIDS |
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| a system in the body that fights and kills bacteria, viruses, and foreign cells and which is weakened by HIV |
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| infections or cancers that normally occur only in someone who has a weakened immune system due to AIDS, cancer, chemotherapy, or immunosuppressive drugs. |
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Definition
| the type of virus that enters a cell, constructs DNA versions of its genes and becomes a part of the cell (moving in and taking over). |
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| the amount of HIV per unit of blood plasma; used as a predictor of disease progression |
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| a test for detecting antibodies to HIV in the blood, it is commonly used to verify positive ELISA tests (less reliable version of testing for HIV). |
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