Epidemiology And Communicable Diseases : Human Immunodeficiency Virus

The virus starts by getting a host cell and either uses it right away then kills it or kills right away usually they use it first. When the virus invades a body, It collides with the cell that spicks and propherances then they brush against each other and it if they fit together become one. The viruses is also able to hide from the immune system therefore avoiding being killed so it can reproduce. Then the virus gains control of a cell by injecting its genes into the cell and makes it do whatever it wants for the benefits of the virus not the cell. Of course while you have a cell doing the dirty work for you. The viruses make is own offspring/ copies of itself and takes of over and invading surrounding cells.

HIV occurs in three main stages: acute HIV infection, clinical latency, and AIDS. In the first stage those infected are very contagious, sometimes suffering from flu-like symptoms; however, this often

Because of this the CD4 count can fall quickly. Your immune system will respond in a way that will begin to bring the level of viruses in your body back down to a level called a viral set point, which is a stable level of viruses that the body can cope with. Your CD4 count begins to increase in this time but may not return to the previous amount before the virus invasion.

This decline in viral load usually continues 8 to 12 weeks and then plateau. This change is usually accompanied by an increase in immune cells occur as well. The recovery of CD4+ T is biphasic, a drastic increase in CD4+ cells occurs during the first three to six months of HAART. This initial rise is primarily to an increase in the numbers of CD45RO+ memory T cells and is presumed to be due to a combination of decreased lymphocyte apoptosis as well as a redistribution of those cells from the peripheral lymphoid tissues into the circulation. Thereafter, a slow increase occurs in most treated individuals. This secondary increase in CD4+ T cells is thought to be due to T cell clones produced secondary to thymopoiesis. CD8+ T lymphocytes also increase rapidly after the initiation of HAART, however, the total numbers of CD8+ T lymphocytes eventually stabilize as memory CD8+ cells numbers decline and are replaced by naive CD8+ T cells. When there is a lack in T cell in the body the macrophages will be primed with the HIV antigen and present it on the surface of their

The developed virus works in the same as the common herpes virus as the infected cells burst releasing more of the virus and infecting nearby cells. The modifications allow the virus to-

In order for the genetic material of the virus to integrate into the hots DNA, it must be changed by an enzyme known as reverse transcriptase16: an enzyme called integrase is then activated as the virus new genetic material enters into the nucleus of the CD4 cells, then acts to integrate itself into the genetic material of the host cell16 and when the host cell becomes active it then uses the host machinery to generate or replicate more of its genetic material thus creating a much longer protein1, 16, 17; a protease then acts to cut the HIV protein into individual proteins. Viral assembly then takes place16, 17, the virus will then bud and then be released into the blood stream where it will go on and attack the CD4 cells and the process will take place again16. Therefore individual infected with HIV becomes HIV positive and will always be HIV

The immune system, which is the part of the body that protects against diseases, viruses, bacteria, cancerous cells, and fungi, contains white blood cells. White blood cells are the central part of the defense and produce several types of cells. CD4+ lymphocytes, one type of white blood cells, identify disease-causing agents and then warn another type of blood cells, B cells, to develop antibodies. The antidotes then constrain the recognized disease-carrying agents and type of white blood cells, killer T cells, destroy them. Since viruses have to live in the host cells, HIV invades CD4+cells, replicates itself, resulting in the death of the cell in 112 days. The reproduced bacteria then infect the other cell and soon enough the number

The molecular pathway of HIV is similar to most viruses as it begins it’s cycle during the transfer of bodily fluids from one infected person to another non infected person. Once this occurs HIV must attempt to cross the cell layer this can occur through tears in the skin or open wounds. The chance of this happening depends on the viral load or the amount of exposure. Once crossing the cell layer the virus comes into contact with immune cells which attempt to destroy the viruses. These immune cells or CD4 cells serve as the host cells for HIV. The host cell can be a variety of immune cells such as macrophages, dendritic, t helper cells and perhaps most importantly damage B cells. The damage of B cells is significant because they are memory cells that essentially store the recipes to make antibodies to various diseases and viruses they have been exposed to in the past. The immune cells attempt to take up the viruses and destroy them. However, a gene called Vpu facilitates the production of the a protein that prevents immune cells from being able to destroy it. Vpu prevents the destruction of itself by the immune system which then allows them to invade the host cell. Once inside the cell the virus begins its cycle and unpacks its genetic information. Then the process

Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV is a Lentivirus. HIV like all other viruses attacks the immune system. In case most of viruses our immune

There is an important difference, however; over time, an individual’s immune system can clear most viruses out of the body. That unfortunately is not the case with HIV; the human immune system cannot rid itself of this virus. HIV inflicts this damage by contaminating immune cells in the body called CD4 positive T cells; these cells are vital to the body for fighting infections (Douek, Roederer & Koup, 2009). Human Immunodeficiency Virus, in essence, converts the CD4 positive T cells into manufacturers that produce even more of the HIV virus; these go on to infect other healthy cells, eventually destroying the CD4 positive T cells (Douek et al., 2009).

Individuals with high viral loads and low CD4 cell counts have high viral infectivity and tend to develop opportunistic infections – atypical infections that generally affect immunocompromised hosts. AIDS is a common cause of death worldwide, buts its medical treatment in developed countries has led to a significant

Virus after the infection of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the immune system is damaged so the body become targets of many opportunistic diseases, which called syndrome, rather than just a type of disease. [1]

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus is from a sub group from retrovirus called Lentivirus which causes HIV infection leading to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is a human condition which progresses to the failure of the immune system causing life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive. Without treatment, survival time after infection with HIV is estimated to be 9 to 11 years, depending in the HIV subtype. Vital cells in the human immune system such as helper T cells (specifically CD4+ T cells), macrophages, and dendritic cells are the main target of HIV. HIV infection leads to decreased CD4+ T cells through a number of mechanisms like apoptosis of uninfected bystander cells, pyroptosis of abortively infected T cells, direct viral killing of infected cells and killing of CD4+ T cells that are infected by CD8 cytotoxic lymphocyte. When CD4+ T cells decreased into a number below critical level, cell- mediated immunity is lost making the body more susceptible to opportunistic infections.

Before discussing how HIV/AIDS has become a pandemic for global health, it is important to first establish an understanding of what exactly HIV/AIDS means and how the disease has been able to spread so rapidly across many countries and continents. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) attacks the immune system and undermines a person’s ability to fight infections. As the virus destroys and weakens the immune cells vital functions, individuals become immunodeficient which results in increased vulnerability to a range of diseases and infections (WHO 2016). The most advanced stage of HIV infection,

I – Immunodeficiency – HIV weakens your immune system by destroying main cells that fight disease and infection. A "deficient" immune system can't protect you.