A 28-year-old primigravid woman at 38 weeks' gestation is brought to the emergency department in active labor. She has not had regular prenatal care. She has a history of HIV infection but is not currently on antiretroviral therapy. Her previous viral load is unknown. A decision is made to continue with the vaginal delivery due to advanced labor. Intravenous zidovudine is administered to the patient during the delivery and to the infant immediately after birth. This medication helps decrease the risk of perinatal transmission by inhibiting which of the following components of viral genome replication?

Question

A 28-year-old primigravid woman at 38 weeks' gestation is brought to the emergency department in active labor. She has not had regular prenatal care. She has a history of HIV infection but is not currently on antiretroviral therapy. Her previous viral load is unknown. A decision is made to continue with the vaginal delivery due to advanced labor.  Intravenous zidovudine is administered to the patient during the delivery and to the infant immediately after birth.  This medication helps decrease the risk of perinatal transmission by inhibiting which of the following components of viral genome replication?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Zidovudine (ZDT) is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor used to prevent maternal to fetal transmission of HIV during labor (when the mother is not virally suppressed).  It is a thymidine analogue that does not have the normal 3'-hydroxyl group found on thymidine.  Because new nucleotides are added to growing DNA chains only at the 3'-hydroxyl group, the addition of ZDT into DNA results in chain termination.

A 28-Year-Old Primigravid Woman at 38 Weeks' Gestation Is Brought