HIV/AIDS

Introduction: Now is the time to move onto a very serious disease. This section is going to give a brief history, the difference between HIV and AIDS, how it is transmitted, and how Helper T-Cells are effected.

A Brief History

Generally, it has been accepted that HIV started in Africa and moved from there. It is now found in every corner of the world. Scientists believe that HIV may have evolved from an immunodeficiency virus during the late 1950's. Some scientists identified an ape in West Africa as the source, which contributes the "Green Monkey" theory. In school, I once watched a video about how HIV was spread. It was absolutely ridiculous because it blamed one guy from Europe who was a stewardess and slept with many men and women, of whom he often met in bath houses.

Here is a website that has some background on HIV and much more: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/basic/index.htm#origin.

HIV/AIDS Difference

Many people put HIV and AIDS hand in hand. Yes, AIDS is caused by the HIV virus, but they are not the same thing. HIV infects and destroys cells of the immune system; AIDS is the advanced stage when a person gets "opportunistic infections." An opportunistic infection is one that has the chance to occur because of the severely weakened immune system (Pg 344).

Transmission

HIV is transmitted through blood and fluid contact, sexual intercourse, saliva, sharing needles with an infected person, a mother passing it to her baby during pregnancy.

Viruses attack cells. It gets inside the cell, takes part in reverse transcriptase (reverse transcription) which makes viral RNA to viral DNA. Then it replicates and begins the RNA process, eventually leaving the cell to infect other cells. It is the same process to an extent.


Not So Helpful Helper T-Cells

When HIV infects the Helper T-Cells, it makes the cell present itself as an antigen. Then, T-Cells and B-Cells come in and eliminate it. Eventually, this highly impairs the immune system, moving HIV into AIDS, so on and so forth until the immune system is so incapable an opportunistic disease takes over.

Here are some websites I got hung up on reading about HIV/AIDS:

http://www.avert.org

http://www.who.int/en/

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/basic/index.htm#origin

Conclusion: That wraps up all of Unit Two - Topic One information. This section included information about HIV/AIDS and previously sections discussed the circulatory system, the heart, blood vessels, blood, and more of the immune system. Unit Two - Topic Two is going to address nutrition.