What is the difference between HIV-1 and HIV-2?
There are two identified strains of HIV: HIV-1 is the retrovirus usually associated with the epidemic in most of the world, including the United States; HIV-2 is not as virulent as HIV-1 and is primarily epidemic in West Africa. Many HIV tests in the United States will detect either HIV-1 or HIV-2. Blood banks and plasma centers also screen for HIV-1 and HIV-2. Due to the rare incidence of HIV-2 in the United States, testing for this specific strain of HIV is only recommended if a person has had a known risk with someone from a country where HIV-2 is prevalent.
Two type of HIV are currently recognised: HIV-1 and HIV-2. Worldwide, the predominant virus is HIV-1. Both type of virus are transmitted by sexual contact, through blood, and from mother to child, and they appear to cause clinically indistinguishable AIDS. However, HIV-2 is less easily transmitted, and the period between initial infection and illness is longer in the case of HIV-2.
Ans. Two type of HIV are currently recognised: HIV-1 and HIV-2. Worldwide, the predominant virus is HIV-1. Both type of virus are transmitted by sexual contact, through blood, and from mother to child, and they appear to cause clinically indistinguishable AIDS. However, HIV-2 is less easily transmitted, and the period between initial infection and illness is longer in the case of HIV-2.
There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. Both types are transmitted by sexual contact, through blood, and from mother to child, and they appear to cause clinically indistinguishable AIDS. However, it seems that HIV-2 is less easily transmitted, and the period between initial infection and illness is longer in the case of HIV-2. Worldwide, the predominant virus is HIV-1, and generally when people refer to HIV without specifying the type of virus they will be referring to HIV-1. The relatively uncommon HIV-2 type is concentrated in West Africa and is rarely found elsewhere.
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