The life cycle of HIV consists of following steps. They are:- 1. Entry 2. Reverse Transcription and Integration 3. Transcription and Translation 4. Assembly, Budding and Maturation. Step # 1. Entry: Virus binds to the host cells by attaching its Gp 120 to the host cell receptor. CD4 molecule present on T lymphocytes is a predominant receptor. Entry of virus [...]
The following points highlight four important ways by which HIV devastates the immune system. The ways are: 1. Direct killing 2. Apoptosis 3. Destruction of un-infected cells 4. Destruction of immune precursor cells. Way # 1. Direct killing: When a large number of viruses is produced and buds out from the surface of CD4+ T cell surface, the cell membrane [...]
HIV infection can be divided into following different stages:- 1. Acute Primary Infection 2. The Immune System Strikes Back 3. Clinical Latency 4. Clinical Latency. Stage # 1. Acute Primary Infection: Once HIV enters the body, the virus infects a large number of CD4+ T cells and replicates rapidly. During this acute phase of infection, the blood has a high [...]