HIV

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

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

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Red AIDS ribbon. AIDS awareness. AIDS charity. Red ribbon. AIDS disease deficiency HIV.

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

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

Discover

Two chicks near an egg with a white background (poultry, chick, chickens, birds).

What Do Eggs Have to Do with Easter?

New Zealand. Political/Physical map. Includes locator.

Where Is “Old Zealand”?

King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)

9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes

Small, white rat (genus Rattus) on a glass table. (rodent, laboratory, experiment)

Cruel and Unusual Punishments: 15 Types of Torture

Fish. Lionfish. Lion-fish. Turkey fish. Fire-fish. Red lionfish. Pterois volitans. Venomous fin spines. Coral reefs. Underwater. Ocean. Red lionfish swims by seaweed.

10 of the World’s Most Dangerous Fish

Titanic infographic. The 30th anniversary of its discovery is September 1, 2015. SPOTLIGHT VERSION.

Timeline of the Titanic’s Final Hours

Ahura Mazda - relief of the Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda at the ancient ruins of Persepolis in Iran. Also known as Ormazd Zoroastrianism,

Which Religion Is the Oldest?

HIV: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

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)

Molecular stool test could improve detection of tuberculosis in adults with HIV • Apr. 5, 2025, 12:57 AM ET (Medical Xpress)

Facts

Also Known As	human immunodeficiency virus

Photos and Videos

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

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

human immunodeficiency virus type 1 human immunodeficiency virus type 2 AIDS bloodborne disease pre-exposure prophylaxis SIV

Key People

Peter Piot

Belgian microbiologist

Segev, Dorry

Dorry Segev

Israeli-born surgeon

Luc Montagnier

Luc Montagnier

French scientist

Mathilde Krim

American medical researcher

Françoise Barré-Sinoussi

Françoise Barré-Sinoussi

French virologist

Demystified

Image concept with the result of the HIV test, AIDS

What’s the Difference Between HIV and AIDS?