HIV and X-ray Crystallography

1658 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: An essay on HIV/AIDS effects

WHAT IS AIDS?

AIDS stand for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

ACQUIRED, how? The blood, vaginal fluid, semen, and breast milk of people with the AIDS virus contains enough of the virus to transmit it to another person. Most people who have acquired the AIDS virus have done so by having sex with an infected person, sharing a needle with one, or being born to a mother who is infected.

IMMUNE DEFICIENCY? Catching the AIDS virus can be lethal because it affects the immune system, which is the system in the body that fights against diseases. A person with the AIDS virus has lower levels of CD4+ cells. These cells, commonly called "T-helper" cells are an essential part of the immune system. Normal people usually have between 500 to 1,500 CD4+ cells in a milliliter of blood.

SYNDROME, what syndrome? A syndrome is a health related problem that accompanies a disease. Acquiring AIDS has many side affects. As the CD4+ levels in an AIDS patient decrease, side affects including fevers, night sweats, diarrhea or swollen lymph nodes increase.

Some frequently asked questions

Q: What's the difference between AIDS and HIV?

A: AIDS is caused by the virus called the Human Immunodefiency Virus or HIV. HIV is a retrovirus. Initially when your body is infected with the virus, it takes time for it to take its toll on the immune system. At this point its affect may not be apparent for years. HIV becomes AIDS when one has less than 200 CD4+ cells per milliliter in their blood.

Q: Can you tell whether a person has AIDS just by there physical appearance?

A: No. You can't tell by simply looking at someone. They may appear completely healthy.

Q: Is it possible to get AIDS by the transmission of fluids such as tears or saliv...

... middle of paper ...

...osure of the gp41 ectodomain. Thus, the HIV virus invades a human cell and causes infection.

Implications of this experiment

Although the isolation and crystallization of the gp120-CD4 complex is a milestone for HIV research, there is still much work to be done. With further research of this nature, we can learn even more about the initial interactions between HIV and the human lymphocyte cells. The more we learn about these interactions, the closer researchers will come to developing some type drug to prevent infection. In this case the ultimate goal is to discover some type of chemical that will bind to gp120 and keep it from binding to CD4. However, as there is currently no cure for AIDS, and the drugs to ease the disease's symptoms tend to be quite expensive, it is crucial that each and every person be properly educated about AIDS prevention.

Show More
Related

  • The Crucible Witch Hunt Essay

    1038 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Cell that Started a Pandemic

    1889 Words  | 4 Pages

    Carl Zimmer the guest speaker of this broadcast states that in 1981 doctors described for the first time a new disease, a new syndrome which affected mostly homosexual men. The young men in Los Angeles were dying and the number of cases was growing faster and faster. The number of deaths was increasing from eighty to six hundred and twenty five in just the first few months. After the first few cases in LA, AIDS was declared to be one of the deadliest pandemics the world had ever seen after the plague in the Middle Ages.

    Read More

  • Comparing the AIDS Epidemic and The Plague

    694 Words  | 2 Pages

    that transmitted the HIV virus to humans through bites (Forsyth). As people migrated it reached Haiti and then spread to America (Clark p. 65).

    Read More

  • Edward Koch and AIDS in New York City

    1990 Words  | 4 Pages

    Human immunodeficiency virus infection / acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a disease of the human immune system transmitted between people by the mixing of bodily fluids. It is an extremely deadly disease that has killed over thirty-six mi...

    Read More

  • Mumps Virus

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    The virus is primarily spherical shaped and roughly 200nm in size, surrounded by a host-cell derived membrane. Its genome is minus-sense single-stranded RNA 16-18 kb in length. It contains matrix protein inside the envelope, hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, fusion protein, nucleocapsid protein, and L and P proteins to form the RNA polymerase. The host-cell receptors on the outside are hemagglutinin and neuraminidase. The virus is allowed to enter the cell when the hemagglutinin/ neuraminidase glycoproteins fuse with the sialic acid on the surface of the host cell, and the capsid enters the cytoplasm. The infected cells express the fusion protein from the virus, and this links the host cells together to create syncitia.

    Read More

  • What Is The Decameron And The Black Death

    881 Words  | 2 Pages

    been previously touched by an infected person, will transmit the disease to the healthy person who

    Read More

  • History of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

    5174 Words  | 11 Pages

    Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), specific group of diseases or conditions that result from suppression of the immune system, related to infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). A person infected with HIV gradually loses immune function along with certain immune cells called CD4 T-lymphocytes or CD4 T-cells, causing the infected person to become vulnerable to pneumonia, fungus infections, and other common ailments. With the loss of immune function, a clinical syndrome (a group of various illnesses that together characterize a disease) develops over time and eventually results in death due to opportunistic infections (infections by organisms that do not normally cause disease except in people whose immune systems have been greatly weakened) or cancers.

    Read More

  • Understanding and Treating HIV/AIDS

    712 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Blood Borne Pathogens and Disease Transmission

    989 Words  | 2 Pages

    Pathogens are a type of microorganism that spreads viral and bacterial diseases. These diseases when present in human blood and body fluids are known as blood borne pathogens, and can spread from one person to another. (Worcester polytechnic institute) The most serious types of blood borne diseases are the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), which can cause liver damage; and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), which is responsible for causing AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). The blood borne pathogens can be spread when the blood or body fluids (semen, vaginal fluid, breast milk, and amniotic fluid) of an infected individual comes into contact with mucous membranes or an open sore or cut on the skin of another person. Mucus membranes are located in the eyes, nose, mouth, and other areas as well. ("Bloodborne pathogens: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia") Two of the most common ways that pathogens are transmitted is through the exchange of fluids during sexual intercourse or by sharing infected IV needles. (Worcester polytechnic institute)

    Read More

  • AIDS in African American Community

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

    1450 Words  | 3 Pages

    Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retro virus that causes AIDS. HIV is a virus that can only be contracted between human to human. HIV weakens your immune system because this virus is destroying cells that fight diseases and infection in your body. A virus can only produce itself by taking over a cell in the body of its h...

    Read More

  • To vaccinate, or not to vaccinate?

    1456 Words  | 3 Pages

    Viruses can be transmitted in many ways. Being in contact with an infected person will most likely transfer the virus. One can also obtain the virus through swallowing, inhaling, and unsafe sex. Poor hygiene and eating habits usually increase the risk of catching a viral infection. Contracting a viral infection is followed by adverse s...

    Read More

  • HIV Speech

    733 Words  | 2 Pages

    I have researched this topic through various sources and compiled pertinent information to provide adequate information on this. topic. The sym First of all, AIDS is caused by the retrovirus HIV. HIV stands for human immunodef- iciency virus. AIDS itself stands for acquired immune deficiency.

    Read More

  • AIDS: cause And Effect

    752 Words  | 2 Pages

    Most people recently infected by the AIDS virus look and feel healthy. They may not show symptoms for several years, but the condition is eventually fatal. Even though one might not know that they have this deathly disease, and remain apparently healthy, they can still pass it along to others, and they then pass it on to others, etc, until an abundant amount of people are infected. Symptoms may include fever, fatigue, weight loss, skin rashes, a fungal infection of the mouth known as thrush, lack of resistance to infection, and swollen lymph nodes. HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is transmitted through blood, semen, and vaginal fluid. The virus is usually transferred through sexual intercourse, the transfusion of virus-contaminated blood, or the sharing of HIV-contaminated intravenous needles. HIV cannot penetrate intact bodily surfaces, such as skin, and quickly perishes outside the human body. Consequently, AIDS is not spread by casual physical contact.

    Read More

  • The Impact of HIV/AIDS

    1068 Words  | 3 Pages

    Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a fatal physical condition that is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The virus damages the human body’s immune system, so that the body cannot protect itself from bacteria, viruses, and prions that cause diseases. With severely lowered defenses, AIDS patients die from common illnesses such as pneumonia, diarrhea, cold, and tuberculosis. The HIV virus does not directly attack its victim; the disease that patients suffer from after receiving the virus is what hurts and kills them. AIDS is a disease that is transmitted easily through unprotected sexual intercourse, sharing of needles, blood transfusion, and childbirth.

    Read More

More about HIV and X-ray Crystallography

Open Document