The Immune System: White Blood Cells Against Viruses

HIV or the Human Deficiency virus is like other viruses including the flu, but the one thing that makes this virus so different than any other is that the body is unable to clear this one out completely. Once someone is infected, there is no cure. Over time, HIV can also hide or mask itself in the body's cells. The cells within a person's body that fight off infection are called CD4 cells or T cells. HIV attacks these cells and copies or replicates itself inside these cells, then destroys them. HIV over time will destroy so many of these cells that the body is unable to fight off infection anymore. When this starts happening, AIDS or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome happens which is the final stage

i. HIV is a virus that kills cells in our immune system, which protects us from

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus and can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) if not treated (About HIV/AIDS, n.d). Unlike some other viruses, the human body cannot fully rid itself of HIV completely, even with treatment. Simply put, once you contract HIV, you have it for life. This disease attacks the body’s immune system, specifically the CD4 cells (T cells), which help the immune system stave off infections. When left to its own devices, HIV reduces the number of CD4 cells (T cells) in the body, making the person more likely to

This virus attacks the body’s immune system causing them to become immunosuppressed. Over time the body is unable to fight off cancer, disease and infections. However, treatment is available to control HIV and those with HIV can live long lives. AIDS is the final stage of HIV and many with HIV will never advance to this stage. During this stage you become susceptible to opportunistic infections. When the CD4 drops below 200 cells per cubic mm of blood and you have an opportunistic infection, you are considered to have AIDS. Those with AIDS have a shorter lifespan and require medical treatment in order to

HIV broken down stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. The H stands for human, which means that this virus can only affect humans, the I stands for immunodeficiency and this means that HIV weakens the immune system, the V stands for virus which means that it can only reproduce itself by taking over cells within the body of an individual. HIV is similar to other viruses (like the flu) the only difference is that the body can fight the flu off but it cannot fight HIV off. “HIV can hide for long periods of time in the cells of your body and that it attacks a key part of your immune system – your T-cells or CD4 cells. Your body has to have these cells to fight infections and disease, but HIV invades them, uses them to make more copies of itself, and then destroys them.”(What is HIV/AIDS?) Once HIV enters the body it will never leave it, the only thing that an individual can do is neutralize it by keeping it from taking over all of the cells through medication. HIV then progresses to AIDS this however doesn’t mean that if a person has HIV they will get AIDS; if they treat early on they can prevent it from turning into AIDS.

The virus strikes the immune system, growing vulnerability to infections and disease, which includes infection-related cancers. Without therapy, the sufferer can develop AIDS.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects the cells of the immune system. In particular, HIV attacks and destroys the T helper lymphocytes, or T-cells, which are crucial to the immune system and immune response. (These cells are also called CD4-positive lymphocytes because HIV uses the protein CD4, present on the surface of the cell, to attach itself and pry its way into the cell.) Each day, your body produces millions of CD4+ T-cells to help maintain your immunity and fight off invading viruses and germs. Once HIV is in your body, the virus is able to copy itself over and over, increasing its ability to kill CD4+ T-cells. Soon, infected cells outnumber healthy T-cells.

It includes lymph nodes, the spleen, bone marrow, lymphocytes (including B-cells and T-cells), the thymus and leukocytes, which are white blood cells.” HIV can show up as early a few weeks and it can also hide for a very long time in the cells of the body and then eventually attack the immune system. HIV basically interrupts the function of the body’s ability to fight infections. The virus will attack the cells, use them to duplicate themselves and then destroy the cell. Once so many cells in the body are destroyed, the body cannot fight off infections and diseases nor protect the body. A result from this is AIDS which stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. It is the last stage of HIV and once the immune system is not working as suppose you can get AIDS. Once HIV is in the blood stream, a person has HIV for life. The only way a person can know if they are infected is to get tested. There are clinics and hospitals where testing can be conducted, some require payment and few are free at no cost to get tested and received

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

HIV is the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS. A member of a group of viruses called retroviruses, HIV infects human cells and uses the energy and nutrients provided by those cells to grow and reproduce. AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is a disease in which the body's immune system breaks down and is unable to fight off certain infections, known as "opportunistic infections," and other illnesses that take advantage of a weakened immune system. When a person is infected with HIV, the virus enters the body and lives and multiplies primarily in the white blood cells. These are the immune cells that normally protect us from disease.

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is an intelligent as well as remarkably complex microbe. It weakens the immune system as it progresses and eradicates crucial lymphocytes such as T-Cells or CD4 cells. It renders the body useless against fighting other infections such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. HIV is commonly transmitted through infected blood via unprotected sexual contact such as anal sex or oral sex, but it can be contracted through contaminated needles and such. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the final stage of infection in which the

HIV is global pandemic stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, weakens the immune system by destroying the important cells in our body that fights against disease and infection. Our immune system is able to clear out most of the viruses from our body, but once you have HIV , you have it for lifelong. HIV can hide in our body cells for long time and it can attack the T cells and CD4 cells, a key part of our immune system to fight infections and diseases. Overtime, the HIV may attack so many of CD4 cells and our body is no more able to fight against infections. When this happens, HIV can lead to AIDS, the final stage of HIV infection. HIV can be transmitted through sexual contact, injection or drug use, pregnancy, breast feeding, occupational exposure, and rarely through blood transfusion and organ

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a dangerous virus that attacks the human immune system. Someone infected with the virus can live with HIV, or be HIV positive, for many years without any illness or showing symptoms. During this time, HIV remains in the body damaging the immune system and the person remains infectious. HIV causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) if it remains untreated. AIDS is a stage of HIV where one can have life threatening illnesses. However, infection with HIV does not mean that one has AIDS. AIDS is the last stage of HIV and people can lose their lives at this stage. HIV is a virus that can be transmitted but AIDS cannot be transmitted. (Can.org.au, 2008)

Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Also known as HIV leads to AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome. HIV attacks the T-cells in your immune system by using them to make copies of infected cells and destroying the original T-cell. There will soon be no active T-cells. The T-cells are important for your immune system because they help fight off infections and diseases. Without it your immune system is weak leaving you vulnerable to infections and diseases. According to Gustav Mark Gedatus in his book “HIV and AIDS,” a person without HIV has about 800-1200 T-cells for every cubic meter. As HIV keeps attacking T-cells the count decreases. When the count has become 200 or less, the disease is now AIDS.

AIDS is an extraordinarily serious disease and scientists have failed, thus far, to find a cure. AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome, develops from the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV (“What is AIDS” par 3). HIV is not the same thing as AIDS; HIV merely turns in to AIDS after a certain amount of time (“What is AIDS” par 4). HIV is also not a curable disease. HIV is a special type of pathogen, known as a retrovirus. This virus has to attach to a host cell in order to live and spread. What makes AIDS so deadly is that it targets the body’s lymphocytes, the cells that normally fight off infection (Nolen 4). Lymphocytes have CCR5 and CD4 molecules on their surface, when HIV enters the body, it attaches itself to these molecules. (Nolen 4). Once the virus has attached to the