- A ART is sometimes thought to cure HIV with one drug administered as a single standalone agent, despite no monotherapy regimen being able to largely eliminate the latent viral reservoirs established early in typical laboratory settings under usual circumstances according to most researchers
- B ART uses combinations of drugs targeting different HIV life cycle steps: NRTIs (block RT), NNRTIs (bind RT allosterically), PIs (block protease), INSTIs (block integrase), entry inhibitors; combination prevents development of resistance (virus would need simultaneous mutations in 3 genes)
- C ART is sometimes thought to use mainly antibiotics, a class of drug that has little activity against a virus, rather than relying on antiretrovirals that target distinct steps of the HIV life cycle in the majority of cases studied as widely reported in standard practice under most conditions encountered
- D One class of drug is sometimes thought to be sufficient for HIV, since drug-resistant mutations would otherwise emerge rapidly against any single drug class used without combination partner drugs as frequently observed in practice in many documented cases according to conventional understanding
Correct answer: B. ART uses combinations of drugs targeting different HIV life cycle steps: NRTIs (block RT), NNRTIs (bind RT allosterically), PIs (block protease), INSTIs (block integrase), entry inhibitors; combination prevents development of resistance (virus would need simultaneous mutations in 3 genes)
Explanation: ART targets multiple HIV life cycle steps: (1) NRTIs (tenofovir, emtricitabine) - chain terminators of reverse transcription; (2) NNRTIs (efavirenz) - non-competitive RT inhibitors; (3) PIs (ritonavir) - block protease (viral maturation); (4) INSTIs (dolutegravir) - block integration; (5) CCR5 antagonists (maraviroc) - block co-receptor. Triple therapy standard: virus must simultaneously acquire resistance to 3 drugs. Reduces viral load to undetectable, restores CD4+ counts, prevents transmission (U=U: Undetectable = Untransmittable).
Concept context
Pathogens, infectious diseases, non-infectious diseases, drugs, cancer, and public health. High NEET importance.