Illustration showing HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus)
HIV is a lentivirus, a member of the retrovirus family (previous names uman T-lymphotropic virus-III - HTLV-III, lymphadenopathy-associated virus - LAV, AIDS-associated retrovirus - ARV. Upon entry of the target cell, the viral RNA genome is converted to double-stranded DNA by a virally encoded reverse transcriptase that is present in the virus particle. This viral DNA is then integrated into the cellular DNA by a virally encoded integrase, along with host cellular co-factors, so that the genome can be transcribed.
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