Which drug is used to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV?

Which drug is used to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV?

• A. Lamivudine
• B. Acyclovir
• C. Valacyclovir
• D. Zidovudine

Answer: (D)

Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV relies on lowering the mother’s viral load during pregnancy and around delivery, with additional protection for the newborn. Zidovudine works best in this context because it’s a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor that crosses the placenta and directly inhibits HIV replication in both the mother and fetus. By reducing maternal viremia at the time of birth, it significantly lowers the chance the virus is transmitted to the baby, and neonatal prophylaxis further decreases risk. The other drugs listed don’t serve this purpose: acyclovir and valacyclovir target herpesviruses, not HIV, and while lamivudine is an antiretroviral, it’s not used as the sole agent for PMTCT in standard practice. In modern care, PMTCT relies on combination ART with zidovudine as a key component to achieve the lowest possible transmission risk.

Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV relies on lowering the mother’s viral load during pregnancy and around delivery, with additional protection for the newborn. Zidovudine works best in this context because it’s a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor that crosses the placenta and directly inhibits HIV replication in both the mother and fetus. By reducing maternal viremia at the time of birth, it significantly lowers the chance the virus is transmitted to the baby, and neonatal prophylaxis further decreases risk. The other drugs listed don’t serve this purpose: acyclovir and valacyclovir target herpesviruses, not HIV, and while lamivudine is an antiretroviral, it’s not used as the sole agent for PMTCT in standard practice. In modern care, PMTCT relies on combination ART with zidovudine as a key component to achieve the lowest possible transmission risk.