The material identifies HIV as:

The material identifies HIV as:

• A. A retrovirus
• B. A bacterium
• C. A fungus
• D. A prion

Answer: (A)

HIV is a retrovirus because its replication hinges on reverse transcription of its RNA genome into DNA, followed by integration of that DNA into the host cell’s genome. This RNA-to-DNA conversion and subsequent integration are defining features of retroviruses, and they drive how HIV persists and produces new virus particles. It isn’t a bacterium, which would be a prokaryotic organism with a different cellular structure; it isn’t a fungus, which is a eukaryotic organism with cellular machinery; and it isn’t a prion, which is simply a misfolded protein with no genetic material. So the best label for HIV is a retrovirus.

HIV is a retrovirus because its replication hinges on reverse transcription of its RNA genome into DNA, followed by integration of that DNA into the host cell’s genome. This RNA-to-DNA conversion and subsequent integration are defining features of retroviruses, and they drive how HIV persists and produces new virus particles. It isn’t a bacterium, which would be a prokaryotic organism with a different cellular structure; it isn’t a fungus, which is a eukaryotic organism with cellular machinery; and it isn’t a prion, which is simply a misfolded protein with no genetic material. So the best label for HIV is a retrovirus.