California State University, Fresno
The AIDS Virus
Alejandro Brambila
Biology 1A Lab T/Th 11:00 AM
Rakesh Krishna Kumar
Spring 2014
Introduction:
The reason behind choosing this topic is because of the enormous amount of people affected by the AIDS disease. AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome; it is the final stage of an HIV infection which targets the immune system of a person that will ultimately lead to an untimely death (What is AIDS AIDS.gov, 2012). According to Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 15,529 people with an AIDS diagnosis died in 2010; and in the year 2011, an approximate 1,155,792 people have been diagnosed with AIDS (CDC, 2013).
Biology of the Disease:
The virus that leads to AIDS is the HIV. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV is just like any other virus with the exception of its complete resilience of the human immune system (AIDS.gov, 2012). This virus, under a powerful microscope, is spherical in shape with an approximate diameter of 1/10,000 of a millimeter. Its viral envelope is composed of a lipid bi-layer taken from the membrane of a human cell. Throughout the viral envelope are proteins from the host cell and, on average, 72 copies of a complex HIV protein called Env. These protein copies protrude the virus particle. Env proteins consist of a cap of 3 molecules known as glycoprotein (gp120), and a stem of 3 molecules called gyclycoprotein 41 (gp41) that anchor the structure in the viral envelope (Structure of NIH, 2012). Inside this envelope is a bullet-shaped core made up of 2,000 copies of p24, the viral protein. Inside the core are single strands of HIV RNA, each having a complete copy of the virus’s genes (Structure of HIV NIH,...
... middle of paper ...
...ents/>
NIH. “Structure of HIV”. National Institutes of Health. (2012) Website. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/hivaids/understanding/biology/Pages/structure.aspx
NIH. “Biology of HIV”. National Institutes of Health. (2012) Website.
UCSF. “AIDS Diagnosis.” University of California San Francisco Medical Center. (2014) Website. < http://www.ucsfhealth.org/conditions/aids/diagnosis.html>
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. “What is HIV/AIDS?”. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2012) Website. < http://aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/what-is-hiv-aids/>
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. “CD4 Count”. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2012) Website.
It is a virus that gradually attacks the immune system, which is our body 's natural defence against illness. If a person becomes infected with HIV, they will find it harder to fight off infections and diseases. AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. AIDS is a syndrome caused by the HIV virus. It is when a person’s immune system is too weak to fight off infections, and develops when the HIV infection is very advanced.
“Definition.” Mayo Clinic. ED. Mayo Clinic Staff. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 05 Jan.2012. Web. 03 Dec 2013.
HIV Transmission Risk. (2013, July 11). Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/policies/law/risk.html
Homeland Security. (n.d.). Creation of the Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved 04 30, 2014, from Offical Website of the Department of Homeland Security: http://www.dhs.gov/creation-department-homeland-security
Different people define success in many different ways. What is considered success by one person may be viewed as failure by another person. Randy Shilts, a homosexual newspaper reporter / author, attempts to make fundamental changes in America’s opinion on AIDS. In Randy Shilts’s essay, "Talking AIDS to Death," he speaks of his experiences as an "AIDS celebrity." At the core of Shilts’s essay is the statement, "Never before have I succeeded so well; never before have I failed so miserably"(221). Shilts can see his accomplishments from two points of view- as a success and as a failure. Despite instant fame, Shilts is not satisfied with the effects his writings has on the general public. Shilts’s "success" and reasons for failure can both be considered when one decides whether or not his efforts were performed in vain.
HIV is a virus that can be sexually transmitted, obtained through hypodermic needles or contaminated blood transfusions, or passed on from mother to child through pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding. It starts off with flu-like symptoms, then it interferes with the immune system, making people prone to illnesses. Their immune system becomes very vulnerable. Sadly, there is no cure for HIV. Research shows that HIV originated in Africa; however, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was not recognized until 1981. HIV is a source of heavy castigation and it causes economic problems as well, especially count...
HIV, also known as Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. If left untreated, HIV reduces the number of CD4 cells in the body, which makes a person more likely to get infections or infection-related cancers. HIV can also lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), if it is not being treated (aids.gov). There is no effective cure for HIV, however with proper treatment and medical care, HIV can be controlled. In
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). AIDS weakens the immune system hampering the body’s defense mechanisms. AIDS is known to be a deadly disease, especially if it is not treated in a timely manner. AIDS and HIV is an epidemic that is increasing among the African American population with roots tracing back to Africa, AIDS and HIV needs greater exposure and more awareness within the African American community and in the homosexual community.
Quinn, P. (2012). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: What Is ADHD?. WebMD. Retrieved on December 3, 2013, from
"What Is Child Abuse." Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse. Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse, n.d. Web. 13 May 2015.
2. US Census Bureau. "Hispanic Population of the United States."Census Bureau Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Feb. 2012.
According to amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, “more than 35 million people live with HIV/AIDS worldwide, 3.3 million of them are under the age of 15. In 2012 an estimated 2.3 million people were newly infected with HIV, 260,000 were under the age of 15. Every day nearly 6,300 people contract HIV - nearly 262 every hour. In 2012, 1.6 million people died from AIDS, 210,000 of them were under the age of 15. Since the beginning of the epidemic, more than 75 million people have contracted HIV and nearly 36 million have died of HIV-related causes”. This disease is transferred from one person to another by blood, semen & pre-seminal fluid, vaginal secretions, breast milk, hypodermic needles and from mother to unborn child through the placenta.
So what exactly does AIDS mean? AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. This basically means that this syndrome is something you acquire after birth and not something that you inherit from your parents. It targets your immune system, which includes all the organs in your body that fight off infection and or disease, and causes it to not function properly ("What Is HIV/AIDS?," 2012). AIDS is a very complex disease that causes many different complications as well as symptoms. Some might not know that AIDS is in fact the final stage of the HIV infection. HIV is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus that can only infect human beings. This is similar to many other viruses like the flu but there is one very important difference. Our bodies for some reason are not able to get rid of this horrible virus and scientist are still trying to figure out why this is ("What Is HIV/AIDS?," 2012). This virus weakens your immune system by destroying cells that are important to fighting disease and infection ("What Is HIV/AIDS?," 2012). These cells are called T cells or CD4 cells. The way it works is that the virus invades the T cells to use them so that the virus can replicate itself and later destroys the cells ("What Is HIV/AIDS?," 2012). Once your body has lost many of these T cells your body can no longer fight infection or diseases and that’s when HIV leads to AIDS ("What Is HIV/AIDS?," 2012). So where did this syndrome and virus originate and how does it come to be you ask? Well scientist believe that HIV in fact may have come from Western Africa by means...
HIV is a lentivirus, and like all viruses of this kind, it attacks the immune system. Lentiviruses are in turn part of a bigger group of viruses known as retroviruses. The name 'lentivirus' literally means 'slow virus' because they take such a long time to create any unfavorable effects in the body. They have been found in plenty of different animals, including cats, sheep, horses and cattle. However, the most appealing lentivirus in terms of the investigation into the origins of HIV is the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) that affects monkeys, which is believed to be at least 32,000 years old(7).
DHH-Office of Public Health. Facts about HIV and AIDS. South Deerfield: Channing Bete Company, 2002. Print