phenotype test – a type of drug resistance that tests whether a drug is sensitive or resistance to a sample of HIV.
Glossary
Selected words and phrases
fusion inhibitor – a type of HIV drug (an entry inhibitor). Fusion inhibitors stops HIV ‘fusing’ to a CD4 cell. T-20 (enfuvirtide, Fuzeon) is only currently licensed fusion inhibitor.
chorionic villus sampling – test in which cells around an embryo are removed and examined to detect genetic abnormalities.
HHV-8 – Human Herpes Virus-8. The virus associated with Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS). Also called Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV).
AST (aspartate aminotransferase; also called serum glutamicoxaloacetic transaminase; SGOT) – an enzyme that is made in many places throughout the body (heart, intestines, muscle) , which is monitored (as with ALT) routinely in HIV-positive people on ARVs to detect liver toxicity from HIV drugs (or other medications). Elevated AST that is specifically made in the liver signals liver injury, but does not indicate how serious liver damage is.