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AIDS Glossary
factor viii
a protein in the blood that promotes clotting. Some hemophiliacs lack factor VIII and use a replacement derived from multiple blood/plasma donors; many hemophiliacs were infected with HIV prior to widespread antibody testing of donated blood.
failure to thrive
a condition in which a child loses or fails to gain weight and grows at a slower rate than expected. Failure to thrive may be due to faulty metabolism, illness or malnutrition; HIV positive children often exhibit failure to thrive.
fallopian tube (oviduct)

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one of the tubes leading from the ovaries to the uterus through which an ovum (egg) travels.
false-negative
a negative test result for a person who does in fact have the disease or condition being tested for. See also false-positive.
false-positive
a positive test result (e.g., from an HIV antibody test) for a person who does not in fact have the disease or condition being tested for. See also false-negative.
famciclovir (famvir)
an antiherpes drug approved for the treatment of varicella-zoster virus infection.
fda
see Food and Drug Administration.
febrile
having a fever or increased body temperature.
fellatio
oral sex on a man; sexual contact between one person's tongue and/or mouth and a man's penis and/or scrotum.
fibroblast
a cell which produces the collagen fibers that make up connective tissue.
first-line treatment
the preferred standard therapy for a particular condition.
fissure
a crack or tear in the skin or a mucous membrane.
flagyl
brand name of metronidazole.
floater
a moving spot that appears in the field of vision. Floaters may be an early sign of an eye disorder such as CMV retinitis.
flora
the plant and/or bacteria species that inhabit a particular environment, e.g., intestinal flora.
florid
having a bright red color.
fluconazole (diflucan)
an antifungal drug used to treat fungal infections including cryptococcal meningitis and esophageal candidiasis. Side effects may include nausea, rash, abdominal pain and headache.
flucytosine (5-fc, ancobon)
an antifungal drug used with amphotericin B to treat cryptococcal meningitis.
flush
a sudden reddening of the skin, especially of the face and trunk.
fnp
family nurse practitioner.
focal
localized; concentrated in a specific area.
folate
a vitamin necessary for red blood cell production and proper neurological function. Levels may be reduced in individuals with severe or persistent infection or those taking certain drugs.
folic acid
a B complex vitamin important for red blood cell production. Folate is a salt or ester of folic acid. Deficiency can cause loss of taste and anemia. Folinic acid is an active form of folic acid.
follicle
a small sac or pore. Hair follicles are depressions in the skin from which hair shafts grow; ovarian follicles are the site of ovum (egg) production.
follicle-stimulating hormone (fsh)
a hormone produced by the pituitary gland that stimulates the ovarian follicles to mature and produce ova (eggs) in women and induces sperm production in men.
follicular dendritic cell
a specialized cell in lymph nodes that traps and concentrates foreign antigens for recognition by lymphocytes.
folliculitis
an inflammation of the hair follicles which may lead to deeper abscesses. Folliculitis is often caused by bacteria (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus). Types include eosinophilic folliculitis and idiopathic folliculitis.
food and drug administration (fda)
the federal agency responsible for regulating the development, use and safety of drugs, medical devices, food, cosmetics and related products.
foscarnet (foscavir)
an antiviral drug used to treat cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease and acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus and varicella-zoster virus infection. Adverse side effects include nausea, kidney toxicity and skin ulcers.
foscavir
brand name of foscarnet.
free radical
a molecule that contains at least one unpaired electron. Free radicals (reactive oxygen species) are a byproduct of normal metabolism. They are highly reactive and bind with electrons from other molecules, potentially initiating chain reactions as successive molecules lose and gain electrons. The robbing of electrons by free radicals can disrupt normal cellular processes and cause cellular damage (oxidative stress). See also antioxidant, oxidation.
freund's adjuvant
a medium used in vaccines to maximize immune response.
ft.
pharmaceutical abbreviation,  make (fac, fiat, fiant)
fta-abs
fluorescent treponemal antibody test, a confirmatory blood test for the presence of Treponema pallidum, the organism that causes syphilis. See also RPR test, VDRL test.
fulminant
refers to a condition that is severe or aggressive.
fundoscopy
examination of the interior of the eye with an instrument (fundoscope) that allows the examiner to peer into the eyeball through the pupil. Fundus photography is used as a diagnostic tool.
fungemia
the presence of fungi in the blood.
fungus
a plant of the subkingdom Thallophytka. A fungus lacks chlorophyl and can be a single cell or a larger plant. These are all fungus -- mushroom, mold, smut, yeast. Fungi cause these diseases -- candidiasis (thrush), cryptococcal meningitis, toxoplasmosis.
fusin (cxcr4, lestr)
a co-receptor on the surface of certain T-cells that, along with the CD4 molecule, allows HIV to penetrate and infect a cell.
fusion
a union or joining together into one entity.