Question

HIV can remain latent for several years and not cause any symptoms in its host. What viral reproduction cycle is occurring during this latency period? What viral reproduction cycle is occurring once a person moves into the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) stage of HIV infection?

Answer 1

Answer:

The lytic cycle.

Explanation:

HIV is a retrovirus that has a special enzyme called transcriptase reverse, which can synthesize DNA using RNA as a template. This replication system is particularly useful for the virus because the DNA synthesized from the RNA viral genome can be then integrated into the human chromosomes and stay inactive for years. This is called a lysogenic cycle and is characterized by a latency of the virus and an integration to the host DNA.

When there is a triggering event, this latent virus can be excised from the human chromosome and start producing copies of itself using the host machinery. Then the virions are assembled and after that they lyse the host cell and release new infective units that can then infect neighboring cells. This is called the lytic cycle of the virus and is the reproduction cycle that occurs when a person moves into the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) stage of HIV infection.