Which one of the following statements is not true with reference to AIDS infection in human beings?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Infected cell can not survive while viruses are being replicated and released.
It is caused by retroviruses. True.
AIDS is caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) which is a retrovirus (RNA virus with reverse transcriptase).
There is always a time lag between the infection and the appearance of symptoms. True.
HIV infection shows a latent period (incubation phase) where the virus is present but symptoms appear after years.
AIDS does not spread by shaking hands with an infected person. True.
HIV spreads only through blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and from mother to child—not casual contact.
Infected cell can not survive while viruses are being replicated and released. Not true.
In HIV infection, the host cell (T-helper lymphocyte) can survive for a long time while new viruses are being replicated and released. The cell does not immediately die, unlike in some lytic infections.