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HIV
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enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test antiretroviral drug T cell infected with HIV
How HIV and AIDS redefined the fight against infectious diseases
Hear American virologist Robert Gallo speaking about the prospects in the development of HIV vaccine
Read Next
Image concept with the result of the HIV test, AIDS
What’s the Difference Between HIV and AIDS?
Transmission electron micrograph of HIV-1 virus particles (red) budding and replicating from a segment of a chronically infected H9 cell (blue). Particles are in various stages of maturity; arc/semi-circles are immature particles that have started to form but are still part of the cell. Immature particles slowly change morphology into mature forms and exhibit the classic "conical or spherical-shaped core." Image captured at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. (Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, AIDS)
Is There a Cure for HIV Infection?
HIV, AIDS, virus
HIV/AIDS: Just the Facts
Germans from East and West stand on the Berlin Wall in front of the Brandenburg Gate in the November 10, 1989, photo, one day after the wall opened.
Timeline of the 1980s
Red AIDS ribbon. AIDS awareness. AIDS charity. Red ribbon. AIDS disease deficiency HIV.
World AIDS Day
Discover
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Flags That Look Alike
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What Comes After Terabyte?
World Data Locator Map: Australia
Is Australia an Island?
Flags of the countries of the world (flagpoles).
How Many Countries Are There in the World?
New Zealand. Political/Physical map. Includes locator.
Where Is “Old Zealand”?
Watergate scandal. Richard M. Nixon. President Nixon gives a press conference and talks to the press, March 12, 1971.
9 American Political Scandals
Los Angeles Police Department wanted flyer on Elizabeth Short, aka the "Black Dahlia," who was brutally murdered in January 1947. The FBI supported the Los Angeles Police Department in the case, including by identifying Short through her fingerprints that
America’s 5 Most Notorious Cold Cases (Including One You May Have Thought Was Already Solved)

HIV

virus
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Also known as: human immunodeficiency virus
Written and fact-checked by
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human immunodeficiency virus

News •

Unexpected hives reaction seen in trial of mRNA vax against HIV • Apr. 30, 2025, 2:15 AM ET (Medical Xpress)
Preventive care may no longer be free in 2026 because of HIV stigma • Apr. 15, 2025, 11:46 PM ET (Medical Xpress)
Worm eradication: A surprising ally in the fight against HIV • Apr. 10, 2025, 8:33 AM ET (Medical Xpress)
Could donated breast milk help HIV-exposed babies? • Apr. 8, 2025, 8:29 PM ET (CBC)
HIV prevention medicines could soon be over-the-counter in Georgia • Apr. 8, 2025, 12:56 AM ET (Medical Xpress)

HIV, retrovirus that attacks and gradually destroys the immune system, leaving the host unprotected against infection. HIV is classified as a lentivirus (meaning “slow virus”). Persons who are infected with HIV often die from secondary infections or cancer. AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection. For detailed information on HIV and disease, see AIDS.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kara Rogers.