Question

HIV is an RNA virus that affects CD4 cells, also known as

cells, in the human body. Which mechanism is most likely responsible for the fast rate at which HIV can spread?
a. recombination
b. mutation
c. reassortment
d. formation errors

Answer 1

HIV can spread quickly due to the high rate of mutation that occurs during the reverse transcription process when the virus's RNA is converted to DNA, leading to a rapid adaptation and resistance to immune responses and treatments.

Step-by-step explanation:

The rapid spread of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) can be attributed to the mechanism of mutation. When HIV infects a CD4 cell, it utilizes reverse transcriptase to convert its RNA into DNA. This process is prone to errors, which are essentially mutations. These mutations occur frequently due to the error-prone nature of reverse transcriptase and facilitate the virus's ability to change rapidly.

This allows the virus to adapt quickly to evade the immune system and resist drugs, leading to the fast rate at which HIV can spread. Moreover, these mutations contribute to the diversity of the viral population within an individual, complicating treatment efforts. An HIV infection progresses as HIV multiplies using the host T cell's genetic machinery and then moves on to infect other cells, such as macrophages.

Regarding the options provided in the question, recombination and reassortment are genetic mixing mechanisms that typically involve multiple different viral strains or types, and formation errors are not a recognized term in virology.