The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV. invades a helper T (CD4) cell where it generates new DNA and can stay dormant in the cell for months or years. The term dormant means that the virus is:

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Dormant means inactive.

Relevant concepts: HIV is a retrovirus that infects CD4+ helper T cells. After entry, viral RNA is reverse-transcribed into DNA and integrated into the host genome as a provirus. Viral infection outcomes include active replication (production of new virions) or latent/dormant infection (provirus present but not producing virus). Latency allows the virus to persist long-term and evade immune detection and some drug actions.

Step-by-step reasoning:
1. HIV enters a helper T cell and uses reverse transcriptase to convert its RNA genome into DNA.
2. Integrase inserts this viral DNA into the host cell’s chromosomes. At this point the viral genetic material is part of the cell’s DNA.
3. If the proviral DNA is transcribed and translated, viral proteins assemble and new virions bud from the cell—this is an active infection.
4. If the proviral DNA is not transcribed, the virus does not produce proteins or virions. The viral genome is present but not functioning to make new virus particles—this is dormancy (latency).
5. Dormant/inactive proviruses can later be reactivated by cellular activation signals, leading to renewed viral production.

Why "inactive" is correct: Dormant specifically describes a state in which the virus is not actively replicating or producing infectious particles, even though its genetic material remains in the host cell. This matches the definition of inactive: present but not functionally active.

Why other choices would be incorrect (briefly):
- “Actively replicating” would be the opposite of dormant.
- “Destroyed” or “killed” is incorrect because the viral DNA remains in the host genome rather than being eliminated.
- “Mutated” or “outside the cell” are incorrect because dormancy refers to activity level, not location or genetic change.

Conclusion: The virus being “dormant” in a CD4 cell means it is inactive, which confirms the provided answer: inactive.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV. invades a helper T (CD4) cell where it generates new DNA and can stay dormant in the cell for months or years. The term dormant means that the virus is:Single choice

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