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"...Clustered near the bed, framed photos show a burly athlete who placed in the triathlon, a handsome man who grins disarmingly, an arm slung around his wife's shoulders. Now, transformed into a skin and bones caricature of himself, he is ruled by fatigue. After an interminable struggle to reach the bathroom, knees buckling, leg muscles barely able to hoist his feet forward over the floor, a heroic effort of will, he collapses back in bed, exhausted, motionless, glaring from huge, haunted eyes when I speak to him.Description of an AIDS Patient, Cecilia Worth/Nurse, The New York Times Magazine (1993)Only in his wife's presence is he calm, though no less armored. She is angry, too, and afraid of him. She cooks for him but will not touch him. His children, parents, brother visit often, struggle for words, and leave without embracing..."
The words of Cecilia Worth speak to the humanity of what is the most tragic and expanding pandemic of recent history-AIDS. 6 - 7 million people are HIV positive world-wide; at least one million in the Americas. Few are untouched by the pandemic at this time; by early in the 21st century, there may be as many as one in twenty Americans infected with HIV. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the fundamental problems associated with the biology of AIDS. These problems include: 1) understanding the nature and transmission patterns of the etiological agent(s); 2) understanding associated opportunistic infections and cancers; 3) understanding how to measure the disease and the associated treatments; 4) understanding current strategies for treatment, the associated problems and the prospects for new treatments; and 5) understanding methods of prevention. This course will not deal the sociological, economical or legal aspects of AIDS.
The course format will include lectures and student-initiated discussions based on the assigned reading materials. The lectures will be enhanced by the participation of regional experts in the fields of microbiology, immunology, epidemiology and clinical therapy. Students will be expected to be active learners. The grade will be based, in part, on assigned projects, one major term paper and exams. Students interested in this course should consult the Department of Biology for further information.
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© 1994 Dr. David Dunigan. University of South Florida. dunigan@chuma.cas.usf.edu