HIV/AIDS research
HIV and How It Attacks
How HIV works in your body The immune system is the body’s natural defense against infections and disease. Your immune system is made up of different types of cells that protect your body from bacteria and viruses. For example, the CD4 cells which is also known as the T cells are part of the immune system. These cells recognize viruses and bacteria and help your body fight the infection. HIV is a type of virus that cannot make copies of itself(reproduce) on its own. Instead, HIV attacks the cells in your body and uses the cells’ “machinery” to make copies of itself. When HIV attacks and destroys CD4 cells, your body has fewer CD4 cells to protect you from infections. This means you are more likely to get sick. HIV life cycle refers to the 4 main steps that HIV takes to make copies of itself. Step 1:ENTERY-HIV attaches to the cell and uses a special chemical as a key to enter. Step 2:DISGUISE-once inside, HIV uses a chemical called reverse transcriptase to disguise itself. Wearing this disguise, HIV is ready to sneak into the cell’s control center. Step 3:Access-HIV uses a chemical called integrase to gain access to the cell’s control center. HIV then adds its own information into the cell’s machinery and starts making copies of itself. Step 4:Assembly-another chemical, called protease, cuts out and puts together copies of the virus. Once the new viruses leave the cell, they are ready to find and attack more CD4 cells.
HIV Medicines There is no absolute cure for HIV. HIV can be treated with medicines. HIV medicines stop the virus from making copies of itself, which helps decrease the virus and increase CD4 cells. There are 3 medicines needed to stop the HIV life cycle. Step 1:ENTERY INHIBITORS-this change the lock on the cell door. This means the key no longer works, and HIV cannot enter the cell. Step 2:NRTIs and NNRTIS-this targets the reverse transcriptase and cause it to make faulty
How HIV works in your body The immune system is the body’s natural defense against infections and disease. Your immune system is made up of different types of cells that protect your body from bacteria and viruses. For example, the CD4 cells which is also known as the T cells are part of the immune system. These cells recognize viruses and bacteria and help your body fight the infection. HIV is a type of virus that cannot make copies of itself(reproduce) on its own. Instead, HIV attacks the cells in your body and uses the cells’ “machinery” to make copies of itself. When HIV attacks and destroys CD4 cells, your body has fewer CD4 cells to protect you from infections. This means you are more likely to get sick. HIV life cycle refers to the 4 main steps that HIV takes to make copies of itself. Step 1:ENTERY-HIV attaches to the cell and uses a special chemical as a key to enter. Step 2:DISGUISE-once inside, HIV uses a chemical called reverse transcriptase to disguise itself. Wearing this disguise, HIV is ready to sneak into the cell’s control center. Step 3:Access-HIV uses a chemical called integrase to gain access to the cell’s control center. HIV then adds its own information into the cell’s machinery and starts making copies of itself. Step 4:Assembly-another chemical, called protease, cuts out and puts together copies of the virus. Once the new viruses leave the cell, they are ready to find and attack more CD4 cells.
HIV Medicines There is no absolute cure for HIV. HIV can be treated with medicines. HIV medicines stop the virus from making copies of itself, which helps decrease the virus and increase CD4 cells. There are 3 medicines needed to stop the HIV life cycle. Step 1:ENTERY INHIBITORS-this change the lock on the cell door. This means the key no longer works, and HIV cannot enter the cell. Step 2:NRTIs and NNRTIS-this targets the reverse transcriptase and cause it to make faulty