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Paper II — 2025 March (Supplementary (SAY)) (2019 Scheme) — Q10

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Paper II
2025 March (Supplementary (SAY)) (2019 Scheme) · 100 marks · 180 min

Question

Prevention of transmission of HIV from mother to child.

Q104 marksShort Answers

Answer

Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV:

  1. Maternal antiretroviral therapy (ART) — throughout pregnancy, labour, and breastfeeding, is the central intervention, reducing maternal viral load to undetectable/very low levels and thereby dramatically reducing transmission risk (from ~25–30% untreated to under 2% with effective ART).
  2. Infant post-exposure antiretroviral prophylaxis — the newborn receives a course of antiretroviral drugs (e.g., Nevirapine, sometimes combined with Zidovudine, depending on maternal viral suppression status) for several weeks after birth.
  3. Safe delivery practices — avoiding unnecessary invasive obstetric procedures (e.g., prolonged rupture of membranes, instrumental delivery) that increase intrapartum exposure risk; caesarean section may be considered specifically for mothers with a high/unsuppressed viral load near term.
  4. Infant feeding counselling — where formula feeding is affordable, feasible, safe, and sustainable, it eliminates the risk of transmission via breastfeeding; where formula feeding is not safely practicable (as in many resource-limited settings), exclusive breastfeeding with continued maternal ART is recommended (since ART substantially lowers transmission risk via breast milk, and mixed feeding is associated with higher transmission risk than either exclusive breastfeeding or exclusive formula feeding alone).
  5. Early infant diagnosis — since maternal antibody crosses the placenta and persists in an exposed but uninfected infant for up to 18 months, HIV DNA/RNA PCR (not antibody testing) is used to diagnose infection in infants born to HIV-positive mothers, allowing prompt initiation of treatment if the infant is found to be infected.
  6. Universal antenatal HIV screening — identifying HIV-positive pregnant women early in antenatal care is the essential first step enabling all of the above interventions.
  1. 1HIV Infection and AIDS (Microbiology)

Other Years Asked

  1. 1Read the clinical history and answer the following questions: A 35 year old man presented to the medical OPD with a history of intractable diarrhea for the past one week. He gave past history of multiple exposures six months back. On clinical examination he was emaciated and oral thrush was present.2013 April (2010 Scheme)Essay · 10 marks
  2. 2A male patient aged 35 years came to STD outpatient department with a history of exposure and is complaining of intractable diarrhea of one month duration with loss of weight and prolonged fever. Answer the following:2015 September (Supplementary) (2010 Scheme)Essay · 10 marks
  3. 3A 35-year-old male with history of multiple sex partners was admitted with complaints of unexplained fever, progressive loss of weight, persistent diarrhea and generalized lymphadenopathy for past six months  What is the most probable diagnosis  Draw a labeled diagram of the morphology of the causative agent of this condition  Discuss the pathogenesis  Write lab diagnosis of the above condition in detail  Name two parasites causing diarrhoea in this group of patients  Mention the prophylactic measures (1+1+2+3+1+2)2021 May (Supplementary) (2010 Scheme)Essay · 10 marks
  4. 4A 30-year-old truck driver presented with diarrhoea of one-month duration. He gives history of multiple exposure with commercial sex workers2023 July (Supplementary) (2010 Scheme)Essay · 9 marks
  5. 5A 40 year old male presented with complaints of unexplained fever, loss of weight, persistent diarrhoea and generalized lymphadenopathy for past six months. He gave a history of exposure with multiple sex partners2025 March (Supplementary) (2010 Scheme)Essay · 8 marks
  6. 6Discuss the laboratory diagnosis of a patient suspected of having HIV infection.2024 June (Supplementary) (2019 Scheme)Short Essay · 8 marks
  7. 7Laboratory diagnosis of HIV infection2017 August (Supplementary) (2010 Scheme)Short Essay · 5 marks
  8. 8List one viral, bacterial, fungal, parasitic opportunistic infection seen in AIDS patients.2024 December (Supplementary) (2019 Scheme)Short Answer · 4 marks
  9. 9Window period in HIV2025 August (Supplementary) (2010 Scheme)Short Note · 2 marks
  10. 10Window period in HIV infection2024 March (Supplementary) (2010 Scheme)Short Note · 2 marks

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