HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS TYPE 1

1. The retrovirus isolated and recognized as the etiologic (i.e., causing or contributing to the cause of a disease) agent of AIDS. HIV-1 is classified as a lentivirus in a subgroup of retroviruses. 2. Most viruses and all bacteria, plants, and animals have genetic codes made up of DNA<!-- (see) -->, which uses RNA<!-- (see) --> to build specific proteins. The genetic material of a retrovirus such as HIV is the RNA itself. HIV inserts its own RNA into the host cell's DNA, preventing the host cell from carrying out its natural functions and turning it into an HIV factory. See Lentivirus; Retrovirus.