Glossary

bile duct – a tube that carries bile from the liver to the gallbladder and then to the small intestine biopsy: taking a small sample of body tissue for examination and testing in the laboratory

baseline – baseline refers to the start of any period being studied. For someone who is HIV positive, their baseline CD4 and viral load counts are the first tests they ever had taken. For someone entering a study, the baseline results refer to their test results at the start of the study. Baseline results for following resistance refers to the results of the first resistance test.

pegylated interferon (PEG interferon) – treatment for hepatitis C, given in combination with ribavirin. Given as a onceweekly injection.

IM (intra-muscular) – injecting into a muscle. See IV (intravenous) and SC (sub-cutaneous).

seroconversion – the immune reaction when you develop antibodies to a new infection. HIV seroconversion usually starts a couple of week after infection. Because this is when viral load is very high (often millions of copies/mL), this is when symptoms occur.

About 70% people have HIV seroconversion symptoms. Some people become very ill and need immediate ART, and other have no symptoms.