how does the influenza and HIV virus affect a cell?
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They insert themselves, use the cell to become a factory for replication of their own kind, and overpopulate the cell until it bursts.  Then, there are many viruses...that take over other cells...and form replication...etc.
430852
because HIV gets inside your cells and reprograms them to produce the HIV virus.  Your body doesnt attack the cells that it recognizes as its own so the virus is not destroyed.
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Cancer causing viruses insert genetic material into infected cells that leads to uncontrolled growth which leads to cancer (such as the case with HPV - human papilloma virus).\n\nOther viruses can cause infections leading to chronic inflammation of an organ, which leads to mutations occuring in that organ (such as Hepatitis B Virus and Hepatitis C Virus, both of which can lead to a higher incidence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma).\n\nLastly, some viruses can cause immunesuppression of the T- and B-cells which mediate cellular immune response, and inhibit their ability to attack abnormal cells (Kaposi's Sarcoma and some lymphomas with HIV infection).
1022070
it doesnt....it just doesnt reproduce. Now, the body can get rid of certain infections on its own which is where the virus load actually decreases.Hope that was helpful. I'm sure you were expecting some big long drawn out answer which I could give you about how antibodies in the body work....but thats not what you asked.
583987
Hello:\nThis is in response to your question posted about symptoms of HIV. I treat a lot of patients with HIV and AIDS. There is a difference. Being HIV positive means simply that you have been exposed to the virus and infected. More often than not, people have no symptoms at all. There is a syndrome called "acute retroviral syndrome" which can occur weeks to a few months after being infected. The symptoms are like having a flu. Fever, swollen lymph nodes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, malaise, sore throat, muscle and joint aches, and a diffuse rash on the body however, this resolves soon and the person thinks he/she just had a flu or bad cold. Most HIV patients have no symptoms until their T-cell CD4 counts get below a certain number and their viral load (the number of copies of virus in 1 ml of blood) rises above a certain number. When these two things happen, the patient will begin to develop symptoms, ie. more colds, more viral infections, pneumonia, bronchitis, yeast infections, thrush, skin rashes. Then there is what are called "AIDS-defining illnesses". Examples include esophageal "thrush", pneumocystis pneumonia ("PCP"), kaposi sarcoma (a type of skin cancer that are deep purple in color) just to name a few.  The only real way you know if you have HIV is to have the HIV 1&2 antibody test done by your physician. This can be done by blood draw, or more simply a swab of your mouth/saliva. If positive, then the doc will check your viral load and T-cell counts. Usually symptoms do not start appearing until the T-lymphocyte cell count falls below 200. HIV is not a death sentence like it was originally. Most people infected with HIV back in the early 80's to mid 90's went on to develop full blown AIDS due to lack of anti-retroviral drugs. Currently, the are many HIV drugs that target the virus replication, entry into the T-cells, ability of virus to form its protein coat, and some others that act in a different manner that are in the drug pipeline but not currently available. Rarely in the United States do you see AIDS defining illnesses and people are living much longer now. I have a patient I treat who was diagnosed in 1988 and he is still very much alive and kicking thanks to the many drug cocktails available to keep the virus at bay. In fact, the virus is undetectable in his bloodstream now and his T-cell counts are back to normal.\nI hope this helped answer your questions.\nRegards, \nWarren Shaffer, M.D.
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The flu is caused by three types (strains) of viruses - influenza A, B and C. Type A is responsible for the deadly influenza pandemics (worldwide epidemics) that strike every 10 to 40 years, whereas type B causes smaller, more localized outbreaks. Type C is less common and causes only mild symptoms. The influenza virus is generally passed from person to person by airborne transmission (i.e., sneezing or coughing). But, the virus can also live for a short time on objects -- such as doorknobs, pens, pencils, keyboards, telephone receivers, and eating or drinking utensils. Therefore, it may also be spread by touching something that has been handled by someone infected with the virus and then touching your own mouth, nose, or eyes Influenza virus is spread by inhaling droplets that have been coughed or sneezed out by an infected person or by having direct contact with an infected person's secretions. Handling household articles that have been in contact with an infected person or an infected person's secretions may sometimes spread the disease.
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one that is constantly mutating, such that its protein coat is always slightly different and so the body's immune system is unable to recognize it quickly as a pathogen to get rid of it.\n\nalso, superviruses may attack the immune system, as in HIV, such that the immune system breaks down.\n\nin the case of flu, there are thousands of different flu viruses with their unique protein coats. hence the immune system may not have encountered the virus before and is thus slow in recognizing the pathogen
633200
AIDS is an abbreviation for an immunity deficiency syndrome. With aids, your lungs usually become infected to the point of pneumonia (fluid build up). The infection that causes the fluid can not be treated because your immune system is shot. The fluid builds up until you can no longer breathe. You drown and die. It is sad. And it is - for now - a hopeless disease.
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They get a blood sample. Their computers/scientists can detect traces of HIV in your blood. It's just a virus. They can actually see it taking over.
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HIV affects the circulatory system as well as every other system in your body.  \n\nDengue Hemorrhagic Fever Infections produce a spectrum of clinical illness ranging from a nonspecific viral syndrome to severe and fatal hemorrhagic disease.\n\n\nEbola haemorrhagic fever (EHF) is one of the most virulent viral diseases known to humankind, causing death in 50-90% of all clinically ill cases. Several different species of Ebola virus have been identified.
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Eliminating HIV, or curing it or making a vaccine, will be a hugely difficult task.\n\nHIV is a very difficult target, because it mutates -- that is, changes its genetic code -- at an amazingly high rate. In fact, every single person with HIV has a different strain or set of strains of the virus. This is because HIV is a retrovirus, which contains RNA instead of DNA. To infect a cell, the RNA must be copied into DNA by an enzyme called reverse transcriptase (RT). RT is a very sloppy copying process; it makes a mistake in roughly 1 in 2000 base pairs. In contrast, DNA copying through DNA polymerase (which has error correction) can copy millions and millions of base pairs without a single error.\n\nThis tremendously high error rate sounds like a recipe for disaster for the virus, and in fact I'm sure it leads to the creation of a lot of "dud" copies of the virus that do nothing. But it means that, from one generation to the next, if the mutations are not fatal to the virus, then it will be sufficiently different so as to evade detection. It also develops drug resistance very, very quickly this way unless drugs are combined to keep it "fenced in".\n\nSo RT is a potent weapon in HIV's arsenal, but it's also a point of control for HIV infections. Since it has no error correction, drugs that look *almost* like nucleotides (base pairs in DNA), can be used. These molecules have critical changes in them so the resulting DNA breaks up as soon as it's assembled. DNA polymerase recognizes that these are not valid nucleotides and replaces them for legitimate cell activity. Those drugs are called "nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors". They are effective at controlling HIV infection when used in combinations of three or more, but they are not cures.
76769
HIV (āch'ī-vē') \nn.\nA retrovirus that causes AIDS by infecting helper T cells of the immune system. The most common serotype, HIV-1, is distributed worldwide, while HIV-2 is primarily confined to West Africa.\n\n\nHIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a retrovirus that infects cells of the human immune system. It is widely accepted that infection with HIV causes AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome), a disease characterized by the destruction of the immune system. In the United States and Europe, antibodies to HIV are one of the criteria for a diagnosis of AIDS.\n\n\nHIV is transmitted through penetrative (anal or vaginal) and oral sex, blood transfusion, the sharing of contaminated needles in health care settings and through drug injection, and between mother and infant during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding according to a leading international health care source UN AIDS in UNAIDS transmission (http://www.unaids.org/en/Resources/faq/faq_transmission.asp#7). The use of physical barriers such as the latex condom is widely advocated to reduce the risk of sexual transmission of HIV.\n\nThe WHO estimated in 2000 that 25% of the units of blood transfused in Africa were not tested for HIV and 5% to 10% of cases of HIV infection in Africa were transmitted via blood.\n\n\nHIV enters a CD4+ helper T-cell by bonding with either CXCR4 or both CXCR4 and CCR5 depending on what stage the HIV infection is in. A cofactor protein (fusin) is required to assist binding of the viron to the membrane of the T-cell. During the early phases of an HIV infection typically both CCR5 and CXCR4 are bound while late stage infection often involve HIV mutations that only bind to CXCR4.\n\nOnce HIV has bound to the CD4+ T-cell a viral protein known as GP41 penetrates the cell membrane and the HIV RNA and various enzymes including but not limited to reverse transcriptase, integrase and protease are injected into the cell.\n\nThe host T-cell can process RNA into proteins (as in Polio virus) but this doesn't happen with HIV. Instead, HIV is stabilised by copying it into DNA and inserting it into the host cell's chromosomes. This means the virus can perform more subtle functions by using the host transcription machinery. The virus generates DNA from the HIV RNA using the reverse transcriptase enzyme to perform reverse transcription. This process can be inhibited by drugs. If this succeeds the pro-viral DNA must then be integrated into the host cell DNA using the integrase enzyme. If the pro-viral DNA becomes integrated into the host cell's DNA the cell is now fully infected but not actively producing HIV proteins. This is the latent stage of an HIV infection during which the infected cell can be an "unexploded bomb" for potentially a long time.\n\nTo actively produce virus, certain transcription factors need to be present in the cell. The most important is called NF-kB (NF Kappa B) and is present once the T cells becomes activated. This means that those cells most likely to be killed by HIV are in fact those currently fighting infection.\n\nThe production of the virus is regulated, like that of many viruses. Initially the integrated provirus is copied to mRNA which is then spliced into smaller chunks. These small chunks produce the regulatory proteins Tat (which encourages new virus production) and Rev. As Rev accumulates it gradually starts to inhibit mRNA splicing. At this stage the structural proteins Gag and Env are produced from the full-length mRNA. Additionally the full-length RNA is actually the virus genome, so it binds to the Gag protein and is packaged into new virus particles.\n\nInterestingly HIV-1 and HIV-2 appear to package their RNA differently - HIV-1 will bind to any appropriate RNA whereas HIV-2 will preferentially bind to the mRNA which was used to create the Gag protein! This may mean that HIV-1 is better able to mutate (HIV-1 causes AIDS faster than HIV-2 and is the majority species of the virus
874366
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). ‘Acquired’ means not inherited. ‘Immune deficiency’ means a breakdown in the body’s immune system. ‘Syndrome’ refers to a range of diseases that may be associated with another disease.\n\nIn this case, diseases that take advantage of the body’s weakened immune system are used to define the onset of AIDS. In Australia, HIV is most commonly spread by sexual intercourse without a condom and through sharing needles, syringes and other injecting equipment.\n\nSymptoms\nSymptoms of HIV are common to a number of other illnesses. If you think you have been put at risk of getting HIV, or if you have any of the signs below (or a combination of them) for a month or longer, you should consult your doctor. Symptoms can include: \n\nFlu-like symptoms \nExtreme and constant tiredness \nFevers, chills and night sweats \nRapid weight loss for no known reason \nSwollen lymph glands in the neck, underarm or groin area \nWhite spots or unusual marks in the mouth \nSkin marks or bumps, either raised or flat, usually painless and purplish \nContinuous coughing or a dry cough \nDiarrhoea \nDecreased appetite.\nHow it is spread \nSomeone who has HIV may not have any symptoms, but they carry the virus and could pass it on through blood or body fluids. HIV can be spread in a number of ways, including: \nUnprotected vaginal or anal sex with someone who has HIV \nSharing injecting equipment and needles with someone who has HIV \nFrom a mother who has HIV to a child during pregnancy, birth or via breastfeeding \nUnprotected oral sex with someone who has HIV (this is less common).\nHIV can’t be spread by social contact\nThere is no evidence to suggest that HIV is spread by ordinary social or family contact such as hugging, shaking hands, sharing household items or through toilets seats, swimming pools or pets. HIV doesn’t live long outside of the body. It can be killed by ordinary household bleach, or soap and warm water.\n\nSafe sex explained\nSafe sex means sex where semen, vaginal secretions or blood are not exchanged between sexual partners. Some safe sexual activities include: \nMutual masturbation \nTouching \nCuddling \nBody-to-body rubbing \nErotic massage. \nCondoms \nUsing condoms properly during intercourse (anal and vaginal) will greatly reduce the risk of spreading HIV. Condoms must be used correctly and with plenty of lubricant. Water-based lubricant should be used, as other types of lubricants will cause condoms to break. Female condoms are also available and should also be used with lubricants. \n\nSafe sex can prevent infection\nHIV can be spread by unprotected anal or vaginal sex with someone who has HIV. Safe sex is recommended if either partner has HIV or if either partner is unsure of whether they have HIV. Other sexually transmissible infections (STIs) such as herpes, chlamydia and gonorrhoea can also be spread by unprotected sex. If either partner has an STI, or if either partner is unsure of whether they have an STI, safe sex is also recommended. HIV infection is more readily acquired or transmitted if either partner is infected with another STI.\n\nHIV and oral sex\nUnprotected oral sex is low risk for spreading HIV but using a condom or avoiding ejaculation into the mouth is recommended when either partner has ulcers or bleeding gums, or has recently brushed or flossed their teeth. Condom use may also prevent the spread of other STIs such as herpes, chlamydia and gonorrhoea. These STIs may be spread more easily by unprotected oral sex.\n\nHIV and deep kissing\nOnly very small amounts of HIV are found in the saliva of people who have HIV. For you to get HIV, a lot of saliva would need to get into your blood via ulcers or bleeding gums. Deep kissing is a low risk behaviour for spreading HIV.\n\nHIV and blood products\nSince May 1985, all blood donations in Australia have been tested for HIV. This means that blood transfusion
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The HIV virus is heavily laden in white blood cells.\nSemen contains many of these cells so there is a risk of a woman catching it through oral sex. The man ejaculates, the semen goes into her mouth, she swallows it?? and then the HIV laden white blood cells are inside her body.
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There's also cell apoptosis.  infected cells put out a self-destruct signal so the virus can't reproduce.  its actually what i work on, with herpes
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SYMPTOMS OF HIV INFECTION\nMany people do not have any symptoms when they first become infected with HIV. Some people, however, have a flu-like illness within a month or two after exposure to the virus. This illness may include\n\n\nFever \nHeadache \nTiredness \nEnlarged lymph nodes (glands of the immune system easily felt in the neck and groin \nThese symptoms usually disappear within a week to a month and are often mistaken for those of another viral infection. During this period, people are very infectious, and HIV is present in large quantities in genital fluids. \n\nMore persistent or severe symptoms may not appear for 10 years or more after HIV first enters the body in adults, or within two years in children born with HIV infection. This period of "asymptomatic" infection is highly individual. Some people may begin to have symptoms within a few months, while others may be symptom-free for more than 10 years. \n\nEven during the asymptomatic period, the virus is actively multiplying, infecting, and killing cells of the immune system. The most obvious effect of HIV infection is a decline in the number of CD4 positive T cells (also called T4 cells) found in the blood -- the immune system's key infection fighters. At the beginning of its life in the human body, the virus disables or destroys these cells without causing symptoms. \n\nAs the immune system worsens, a variety of complications start to take over. For many people, the first signs of infection are large lymph nodes or "swollen glands" that may be enlarged for more than three months. Other symptoms often experienced months to years before the onset of AIDS include \nLack of energy \nWeight loss \nFrequent fevers and sweats \nPersistent or frequent yeast infections (oral or vaginal) \nPersistent skin rashes or flaky skin \nPelvic inflammatory disease in women that does not respond to treatment \nShort-term memory loss \nSome people develop frequent and severe herpes infections that cause mouth, genital, or anal sores, or a painful nerve disease called shingles. Children may grow slowly or be sick a lot. \nAIDS\nThe term AIDS applies to the most advanced stages of HIV infection. CDC developed official criteria for the definition of AIDS and is responsible for tracking the spread of AIDS in the United States. \n\nCDC's definition of AIDS includes all HIV-infected people who have fewer than 200 CD4 positive T cells (abbreviated CD4+ T cells) per cubic millimeter of blood (Healthy adults usually have CD4 positive T-cell counts of 1,000 or more.). In addition, the definition includes 26 clinical conditions that affect people with advanced HIV disease. Most of these conditions are opportunistic infections that generally do not affect healthy people. In people with AIDS, these infections are often severe and sometimes fatal because the immune system is so ravaged by HIV that the body cannot fight off certain bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and other microbes. \n\nSymptoms of opportunistic infections common in people with AIDS include \nCoughing and shortness of breath \nSeizures and lack of coordination \nDifficult or painful swallowing \nMental symptoms such as confusion and forgetfulness \nSevere and persistent diarrhea \nFever \nVision loss \nNausea, abdominal cramps, and vomiting \nWeight loss and extreme fatigue \nSevere headaches \nComa \nChildren with AIDS may get the same opportunistic infections as do adults with the disease. In addition, they also have severe forms of the bacterial infections all children may get, such as conjunctivitis (pink eye), ear infections, and tonsillitis. \n\nPeople with AIDS are particularly prone to developing various cancers, especially those caused by viruses such as Kaposi's sarcoma and cervical cancer, or cancers of the immune system known as lymphomas. These cancers are usually more aggressive and difficult to treat in people with AIDS. Signs of Kaposi's sarcoma in light-skinned people are
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Ok, firstly for a virus to infect someone, it must enter a cell type. cold viruses enter your nasal, oral or respiratory epithelium. (top layer) this is where the interaction of the virus and host (you) causes inflammation and your body's response is the symptoms of a cold.\n\nHIV enters a specific cell called a T helper cell (also marked, and know as CD4) this cell is crucial to your immune system. HIV is called a retrovirus as basically it converts it Genome into a length of DNA that incorporates it's self into the human T-cells DNA. So if, in theory you removed all the HIV virus from your body,  the virus can come back, as you immune system would make it!\n\nsound strange but one of the reasons its such a nast bug. While in the T cell it multiplies and spreads to other cells, then destroyes the T cells it's in.\nHIV can be monitored by two methods: virus count, and T cell count. Ideally you want virus count of 0 and a high T cell count.\n\nHIV can be combated using drugs, including a group called "reverse transriptase inhibitors" these slow down the rate that the HIV virus can multiply andincorpotate it'sself into you body.  So if have HIV, get a cocktail of antiHIV drugs, you can life almost as long as you would without the virus.\n\nThe main problem with HIV is as it attacks your immune system, it makes you vulnerable to all sorts of other diseases.