Glossary

Stevens-Johnson Syndrome – a type of severe rash that is luckily rare. This rash has been reported in 0.1–0.3% of people using NNRTIs. It can also occur with other drugs including antibiotics (including cotrimoxazole/Septrin). Any rash on an NNRTI should be shown to your doctor to decide whether treatment needs to be switched or can continue.

Hickman line – a fixed central line that is used to deliver IV drugs close to where they are needed in the body.

monotherapy – using only one drug.

revertant mutation – this term is used in two ways.

Firstly when referring to a genetic change that shows the virus is returning from a drug resistant mutation back to a wild-type genotype. This can sometimes take several stages. For example, T215E/D/E and S are revertant mutations that can indicate the drug resistant mutation T215Y is being replaced by wild-type (i.e. T215T).

It can also refer to the fitness of a virus. A revertant mutation can refer to an additional mutation that allows the virus to regain viral fitness (most drug mutations also make the vurs less fit). The second example is called a compensatory mutation as is compensates for the reduced fitness caused by the first mutation.

macrophage – large white blood cell that engulfs or ‘eats’ infectious organisms and waste material from dead cells.