1. With respect to AIDS, the term “viral load” refers to
a) the number of other viruses (e.g. hepatitis, herpes, etc.) that a patient has been infected with
b) the continuous and debilitating effect of HIV on the immune system
c) the number of times a person has been independently infected with a different strain of HIV
d) the total number of free HIV particles circulating in the blood
e) the increase in blood pressure that results from the heart trying to pump the large HIV particles through the small capillaries

2. When And the Band Played On was written, unprotected “fisting” was considered a very high risk behavior. Now, fisting is considered
a) even riskier than it was before
b) about as risky as it was before
c) less risky than before
d) essentially safe except if there are open sores to allow blood-blood transfer

3. As of March 1999, the number of documented cases of HIV transmission by “casual contact” in North America and Western Europe combined was
a) between 1,000 and 2,000
b) between 150 and 300
c) between 40 and 60
d) between 1 and 3
e) zero

4. Even before AIDS was identified, Sandra Ford, a drug technician at the CDC noticed an unusually high number of orders for a special drug, pentamidine, and wondered how so many people in New York could be coming down with
a) drug resistant candidiasis
b) Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia
c) Kaposi’s sarcoma
d) Toxoplasmosis
e) Cytomegalovirus infections

5. An acronym currently used to describe “triple drug therapy” or 3-drug cocktail is
a) ARC
b) CDC
c) PCP
d) TDT
e) HAART

6. Cleve Jones, Paul Popham, Larry Kramer, and Bill Kraus would best be described as
a) elected politicians
b) research scientists
c) physicians who treat AIDS patients
d) AIDS activists
e) public health workers

7. Present data suggest that making sex education (including information about condoms) and making free condoms available to teenagers in a school setting results in
a) a decrease in the average age for becoming sexually active, but not much change in the total amount of sexual activity
b) no change in the average age for becoming sexually active, but a significant increase in total sexual activity
c) a decrease in the average age for becoming sexually active and an increase in the total amount of sexual activity
d) an increase in the average age for becoming sexually active and a decrease in the total amount of sexual activity
e) no change in either the average age for becoming sexually active or the total sexual activity

8. In the context of “gift givers and bug chasers,” gift givers are
a) a group of people who arrange to grant a wish to persons dying of AIDS
b) an organization dedicated to helping AIDS patients pay their bills
c) a term used by persons with AIDS to refer to drug companies that do research on AIDS prevention and treatment
d) people who are willing to give an HIV infection to uninfected individuals who seek to become infected

9. Patients whose AIDS has advanced to the late stage commonly develop multiple opportunistic infections. The infectious agents for many of these (e.g. Candida albicans and Pneumocystis carinii)
a) probably came from other AIDS patients
b) probably came from health care workers
c) probably were always there in the person
d) probably came from pets

10. Cuba, with a policy of quarantine for HIV positive persons, has
a) no new HIV infections in almost ten years
b) a lower percentage of HIV positive people than any other country in the Western Hemisphere
c) a slightly higher percentage of HIV positive people than in the US
d) one of the highest percentages of HIV positive people in the Western Hemisphere outside of the US
e) nearly had its government toppled by the mass protests against the policy

11. Which of the following was NOT applied to Gaetan Dugas in And the Band Played On?
a) “the prettiest one”
b) “patient zero”
c) airline steward
d) French-Canadian
e) First North American AIDS death

12. Harvey Milk, George Moscone, Harry Britt, and Philip Burton would best be called
a) elected politicians
b) research scientists who treat AIDS patients
c) AIDS activists
d) public health workers

13. Besides being the name of an ancient manual on sex, Kama Sutra was also
a) the name of one of the first books outlining safe sex activities in the AIDS era
b) the name of a bathhouse frequented by gay men
c) a nickname for Harvey Milk, the gay member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors who was assassinated
d) the name of the gay neighborhood in San Francisco
e) and early slang nickname for Kaposi’s Sarcoma

14. The causative agent for Kaposi’s sarcoma in AIDS patients is
a) a virus
b) a bacterium
c) a fungus
d) a protozoan parasite
e) a worm

15. Which of the following is NOT one of the classic trio of factors that will determine whether an epidemic will be self-sustaining
a) the number of contacts between people per unit time
b) the probability of transmission per contact
c) how long the infectious state persists
d) whether the infectious agent is viral or bacterial

16. The experience gained from requiring a blood test for syphilis to obtain a marriage license has been used in the argument about whether to institute a similar requirement for an HIV test. The fraction of all syphilis cases that were initially identified as a result of the marriage license test is
a) about 1%
b) about 10%
c) about 25%
d) about 75%
e) greater than 90%

17. When And the Band Played On was written, the use of amyl nitrate inhalants (“poppers”) was considered a high risk behavior. Now, that behavior is considered
a) even riskier than it was before
b) about as risky as it was before
c) less risky than before
d) essentially safe

18. In the time before seroconversion, an HIV infected individual is probably
a) not infectious
b) less infectious than a seropositive individual who has no symptoms
c) about as infectious as a seropositive individual who has no symptoms
d) more infectious than a seropositive individual who has no symptoms
e) less infectious than a seropositive individual who has full-blown AIDS

19. The time required for seroconversion after infection with HIV is usually
a) several hours
b) several days
c) several weeks
d) several years

20. The number of human cancers that are currently known to be caused by viruses is
a) zero
b) few
c) about half
d) most
e) all

21. In Africa where blood tests are unavailable, which of the following is used as an indicator of early immune system failure in HIV positive persons?
a) Kaposi’s sarcoma
b) Toxoplasmosis
c) “Cat-scratch fever”
d) Oral Candidiasis (“Thrush”)
e) Malaria

22. The term “AIDS-related Complex” refers to
a) a milder form of AIDS that is usually not fatal
b) a set of psychological changes that occur in many AIDS patients when they discover that their disease is untreatable with current drugs
c) the early stages of immune failure that will lead to full-blown AIDS later on
d) the combination of CCR5 (or CXCR4) protein with CD4 protein that forms the actual receptor for HIV infection of susceptible cells
e) two different Mycobacterium species that together form an opportunistic infection in AIDS patients which resembles tuberculosis

23. Robert Gallo, Luc Montagnier, Francoise Barre, and James Curran would best be called
a) elected politicians
b) research scientists
c) physicians who treat AIDS patients
d) AIDS activists
e) public health workers