M:
Macrophage: The cells of immune system which look for foreign matter in the blood. Also, they alert the whole immune system to help any time when it is needed.
Maintenance therapy: The treatment of disease, which can probably occur again, for instance, maintenance therapy can be used against PCP.
Men having Sex with Men (MSM): Gays or bisexual men.
Monogamous: A sexually safer way of living: having one lover (sexual partner).
Morality-Based: Religious-based tenets. But it can’t be compared with the term “morality” when people who favor sex think that their point of view is also morality-based.
N:
Nonoxynol 9: Such condom which coating is spermicidal. It can kill STDs and HIV infections.
O:
Opportunistic Infection (OI): Infections which appear because of some agents that are present in the body or environment and can cause disease in an immune-compromised person when his immune system becomes weak.
Oral sex: So-called sucking, licking and kissing of genitals (“fellatio”, “cunnilingus”).
Outercourse: Petting and mutual masturbation between partners. The opposite to intercourse.
P:
Pandemic: Infectious disease which can occur in the large territory, for example, AIDS.
Pathogenesis: A disease, its origin and development.
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP): A disease which can occur in people who have positive HIV. Its cause is a lung infection.
Prophylactic: A medical device or measure which can prevent a disease. In sex, for instance, it is a condom.
Protease / Protease Inhibitors: Blood substance that breaks down proteins.
R:
Reality-Based: A detailed “sex ed” curriculum with components of safer sex (HIV/AIDS).
Resistance: The ability to overcome something, for example, when a disease tries to overcome a drug.
Retrovirus: A strand of ribonucleic acid surrounded by a protein shell. Sometimes they can cause disease, but such occasions are very rare. For example, HIV is retrovirus.
Reverse transcriptase: A crucial ferment for HIV to grow and multiply.
RNA (Ribonucleic acid): A strand of nucleotides transmitting genetic information. Their functions in retroviruses are the same as DNA performs in viruses.
S:
Secondary Virgins: Men or women who have already had sex once or twice but because of some reasons (fear to die from HIV/AIDS) decided not to do it any more.
Sex Ed (Sexual Education): A detailed sexual education for teens.
Sexually transmitted disease (STDs): Such diseases as gonorrhea, herpes, HIV/AIDS, Chlamydia, syphilis, etc. It may cause a quick transmission of infection to another person.
Symptom: Body’s changes which appear to indicate a disease.
Symptomatic: Changes in normal body functions, for example, symptomatic signs can be shown in HIV-positive person.
T:
Thymus: Body organ which trains T cells to be part of the immune system.
Toxic reaction: The reaction of organism to drug, vitamin or other things poisoning when these medicines can damage the blood or body.
Transfusion: The process when one person gives his blood, or its parts to another one.
Transmission: HIV passing from an infected person to a healthy one through semen, blood, breast milk or vaginal secretions.
Tuberculosis (TB): A disease which occur because of “Mycobacterium” tuberculosis. It is widespread in urban areas.
U:
United Nations AIDS (U.N.AIDS): The organization which was created in 1995 to coordinate different providers of AIDS services. Its first director was Peter Piot.
Universal Precautions: Safety measures used in hospitals and clinics to prevent from different infections.
V:
Vaccine: A suspension of an infectious agent which can be introduced in organism by injection. Also, there is one more type of vaccine: therapeutic, they may help to fight virus even after infection.
Viral Load: The quantity of HIV in organism, blood.
Viremia: When virus is found in the blood stream.
Virucides: A chemical or physical agent which can inhibit, kill or inactive viruses.
Virus: The smallest infectious organism which can cause infectious diseases. From the chemical point of view it is a strand of DNA surrounded by a protein shell.
W:
Wasting syndrome: A weight loss of more than 10% of body because of chronic diarrhea, weakness or fever for more than 30 days when such condition can be explained only by HIV infection.
Wave: Such term is used to describe and explain different HIV/AIDS stages.
Western blot: The test for HIV antibodies in the blood.
White blood cells (WBCs): The cells, white-colored, which are considered to be the center of immune system and protect body from foreign substances.
Window period: The period between HIV infection and when its antibodies can be detected in the blood (from 6 weeks up to 6 months).
Z:
Zidovudine (ZDV): An effective medicine which can help to reduce the number of babies born with perinatal HIV.
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Glossary of HIV/AIDS Terms
