Library · Disease
HIV and AIDS
Make it clearer
HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, is a retrovirus, and that defines almost everything else. Its genetic information is written in RNA, and once inside the cell it copies that information backward, turns it into DNA, and inserts it into the cell's own DNA. The virus ends up written into the cell's DNA, not just lodged inside it. That is why the infection lasts for life.
Which cell does it enter? The one that carries on its surface a piece called CD4, which is its way in. The cells that have it are T lymphocytes, which are immune cells, and macrophages, cells that eat up what is left over and alert the rest of the immune system.
The infection is described in three stages: acute HIV, chronic HIV and AIDS, which stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The third stage is defined by counting those CD4 cells in the blood: below 200 per microliter, a tiny drop, counts as stage 3.
In brief
HIV is a retrovirus: its RNA genome is reverse transcribed into DNA and integrated into the cell's DNA, and the infection lasts for life.
The virus ends up written into the cell's DNA, not just lodged inside it.
Its main receptor is the CD4 antigen, so it targets the T lymphocytes and macrophages that express it.
The infection moves through three stages, acute HIV, chronic HIV and AIDS; stage 3 is defined by a CD4 count below 200 cells per microliter.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingHIV and AIDS, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated