How does the human body respond to a sudden onslaught of viral invaders?
336891
It's complex.  Basically the virus infects cells, and the viral protein is present on the cell surface by MHC molecules.  The circulating T cells then can latch on to and identify the virus-infected cell as foreign.  That specific T-cell then proliferates, and starts hunting down infected cells.  There is alot more going on, including antibody production and release by B cells.\n\nWell described in this book chapter.
296586
The basic answer to this is No because there are various strains of the virus and thus each person could be reinfecting each other and thus make the other person sicker than they really should be.
1058516
Let's explain this in human terms- \n\nA virus to a computer is like a viral infection to a human.  It is like the air bound bacteria that travels through the air that cause us to get ill if contacted- such like a common cold.  Unlike us, a computer doesn't have a natural immune system to protect it from bad elements, and that why an Up-To -Date Anti-Virus Program with  auto-updating virus definitions is very essential.  Computer viruses and all other pest and scary crawlers are all over the virtual web.  \nA computer can easily catches a virus by us clicking on a link, more opening a document that already has a virus in it, etc....  Consequently, the level of damages a virus can do to a PC depends on its incubation period(how long b4 noticed) and its characteristics(the purpose in nature. ex- keylogger, hacker, etc...).  A general virus symtoms are 1.  Your PC runs extremely slow all of a sudden. 2. changes in display resolutions.  3. frozen. and 4. "if it sneezed."  HA!  HA!\nI have a theory that computer viruses is evolving although there hasn't been proofed facts about computer virus mutations.  By observing the similarities of different viruses' habitats and the linkages btw their family trees(1), I came with the theory that many new viruses are actually evolved from the previous ones within that family.  Relevantly, other more serious bugs like worms, swans, and etc are actually albinos mutated from the many virus families; which is one of the reasons why these are harder to get rid.
1164609
Well considering they drink all that blood I imagine many viruses transfer into their system all of the time. Maybe they just have a super immune system because they have to fight off so many diseases. Maybe we should all be drinking blood... the ultimate cure all for the world? Err... Maybe not.
817756
Highly unlikely......it takes a certain amount of the virus to actually infect you.
615781
Wow some of these answers are scaring me.\n\nAIDS is caused by a VIRUS - HIV - not by people.  \n\nWhoever it was that said its been around for a long time had it right - and we won't ever know for sure how and when it started.\n\nYes, it was first identified as a "gay man's disease," but obviously, or I thought obviously, we had moved beyond that.  \n\nAnd if its "punishment," then how do you explain babies becoming infected, and the people that were infected early on from blood transfusions, etc?\n\nCome on people.  Get logical here.\n\nViruses aren't punishments.  Viruses and bacteria don't take personal inventories of those they infect.  They just biologically do their thing, and that is to make people sick.  \n\nHIV isn't a punishment anymore than the common cold or the flu is.
172157
Not usually.\nOnce we have recovered from a bacterial or viral infection our body's defense system can very quickly protect us against a second attack - this is 'natural immunity'.\nWe make use of this mechanism in immunisation by injecting (usually) weakened or inactive microbes (or part of a microbe) which creates an immune response - production of antibodies. We are immune to future attacks.\n\nA second dose of a disease is unlikely but possible - I have had measles twice!\nScarlet fever is easily treated with antibiotics, though I've had this too. It is not pleasant.\n\nHave a look here:
576814
The cell-mediated response involves cells that are specific to the antigens on the invading pathogens. These cells are called T cells. The T-cells develop surface receptors called T-cell receptors where they become programmed for the antigen of a specific pathogen.  Some of the T cells recognize and destroy foreign cells.  Hope this helps. I just had an exam on it and passed!!
114909
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.
159620
You have to be patient with a virus,only rest and time will help. Sometimes there can be secondary effects like a cough that develops into pnuemonia. Simply take bed rest, eat bland food and try to stay hydrated.\nOh a lot of the time what we think is a virus is food poisoning. Now that you may want to get checked out by a doctor.
82949
To trigger a biological response.
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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.
214173
In simplistic terms- Allergies are caused by the body's natural immune response to an outside stimulus.The immune system attacks a "foreign body" that enters your system (virus, bacteria, etc.) This is how it protects you from disease. Once the body has experienced this invasion, it manufactures antibodies that can easily attack (attach) to that specific foreign body and are always in the waiting to attack their return. This explains why once you have Chicken Pox you're unlikely to get it again and how vaccines work. This is great if the foreign body is dangerous but in regards to allergies, the immune system is somewhat overactive and is actually attacking a substance that isn't usually harmful.\nSome theories state that allergies are increasing due to our cleanliness (antibacteria soaps, antibiotics). It's kind of like our immune system is looking for something to do.
910641
all viruses work by taking over the reproductive mechanism of cells and making them manufacture copies of themselves.  Frequently the viral cells put out toxins that cause various illnesses.  "Stomach" viruses do this in the GI tract.
175093
Immune surveillance refers to the body's sensitivity to the presence of foreign organisms (bacteria, viruses, parasites), foreign tissue transplanted from a donor, or the body's own cells which will be recognized as "not-self" through malignant transformation (i.e. cancer cells) or in the development of autoimmune disease (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis).  In each of these instances the body's immune system is responding to the presence of surface markers called antigens, which are usually proteins.  All cells in the body produce surface antigens and display them on the cell membrane.  The precise structure of these antigens is genetically determined and differs between individuals (except for identical twins).  The components of the immune system recognize each individual's surface antigens as belonging to that person's "self" and does not react to them under ordinary circumstances.\n\nThe mechanisms of immune surveillance depend primarily on three cell types.  The first of these are the macrophages, large cells which engulf and devour foreign organisms such as bacteria.  The bacterial cells' surface antigens are processed by the macrophages, expressed on the surface of their cell membranes, and then "presented" to a second category of cells, the CR4+ T lymphocytes.  These white blood cells recognize the bacterial antigens as foreign and then cause the transformation of B lymphocytes into plasma cells, which will then produce antibodies specific for those antigens.  The antibodies can attach themselves to these surface antigens on the invading bacteria and facilitate their destruction by other T lymphocytes and the complement system.  Similar mechanisms are involved in the case of viral infections.  In both bacterial and viral infection immune surveillance during the first exposure often results in clinical illness, but results in immunization, the result of which is the production of T and B lymphocytes that "remember" the first exposure and trigger a faster, more effective response to subsequent exposures that prevents repeat occurrence of the same illness.  Note that this immunizing exposure can be either natural, in response to exposure to the "wild" organism, or artificial, in response to a modified form of the organism or its antigens (vaccination).\n\nStill other mechanisms, some involving antibody production and some involving only T lymphocyctes and natural killer cells, are involved in the detection and destruction of cancer cells, in the body's attack on its own tissues in autoimmune disease, and in the detection and rejection of foreign tissue from a transplant donor.  Research in transplant medicine has resulted in the successful development of drugs and other treatments that prevent rejection of transplanted organs.  Current research in clinical immunology is directed at identifying methods for enhancing immune surveillance and destruction of cancer cells, and also at identifying the causes and possible means of prevention of autoimmune disease.
646458
That depends on the manner in which it fails. Due to the mechanisms by which the most basic immune system cells are generated (NK cells, macrophages, lymphocytes, killer T cells, dendritic cells, etc) it's usually some other aspect of the body which wonks out before the immune system does.\n\nIt all depends on the manner in which it fails.\n\nIn the case of HIV, for example, the virus uses a type of white blood cell called a CD4-positive cytotoxic killer T cell to proliferate in the bloodstream. While the virus and the killer t cells stay in balence for a number of years, eventually the viral load overwhelms the population of killer t cells, and they're depleted. Without them the body is far less able to defend itself against certain types of pathogens, and that's when someone can develop all those opportunistic infections by other microorganisms. \n\nHope this helps.
364585
D.\n\nIt produces more viral particles up to the point where the cell cannot hold anymore and bursts. The amount of viral particles released is called the "viral burst size" and depends on the virus species. The released particles infect new cells and continue the cycle. This is why virus growth is an exponential curve.