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Topic 5 Assignment (Malcom Kimani)

opportubistic diseases that thrive in a hiv ridden body

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36 views3 pages

Topic 5 Assignment (Malcom Kimani)

opportubistic diseases that thrive in a hiv ridden body

Uploaded by

flvckomallie
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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NAME: MALCOM KIMANI

REG NO: S13/02321/19

UNIT: ZOOL 143-R: Biology of HIV/AIDS and Society

Topic 5: Transmission and Pathogenesis of HIV Particle

1. Summarize HIV modes of transmission and the entry process.

 Blood and Blood Products: Transmission often occurs through needle sharing among injecting drug users,
although screenings reduce transmission through donated blood.
 Mother-to-Child Transmission (MTCT): Without treatment, approximately 30% of infants born to HIV-positive
mothers are infected, with a high risk during birth.
 Sexual Activity: HIV transmission occurs in various forms of unprotected sexual intercourse, with anal
intercourse being the highest-risk activity due to potential rectal lining damage.

Entry process, The virus enters the body primarily through mucous membranes, which are thin, moist surfaces
found in the genital, digestive, respiratory tracts, and eyes. These mucous surfaces, lined with epithelial cells and
protected by IgA, form entry sites where HIV binds to CD4 receptors on immune cells.

2. Describe the life cycle of HIV particle.

The life cycle of HIV consists of ten critical steps:

 Binding: The HIV particle binds to a T-cell through the viral protein gp120, which attaches to the CD4 receptor
on the T-cell.
 Fusion: Following binding, fusion occurs when the viral protein gp41 interacts with either CCR5 or CXCR4,
leading to the merging of the viral and host cell membranes.
 Infection Stage: The viral core enters the T-cell, and the nucleocapsid breaks apart, releasing the viral RNA and
reverse transcriptase enzyme.
 Reverse Transcription: The single-stranded RNA genome is converted into double-stranded DNA by reverse
transcriptase.
 Integration: The viral DNA is integrated into the host cell’s DNA by the enzyme integrase, making it a
permanent part of the host's genetic material.
 Latent Infection Stage: The infected cell is now called a provirus and can remain inactive.
 Transcription and Translation: If activated, the provirus produces RNA copies of its genes, which are used to
create viral proteins and new viral genomes.
 Assembly Stage: The viral proteins assemble and are cleaved by protease, allowing the formation of the new
viral capsid.
 Budding: The new nucleocapsid merges with the host cell membrane, forming a viral envelope as it exits the
cell.
 Release and Maturation: The newly formed viral particle is released from the host cell, ready to infect other
cells, while the virus completes its protease processing.

This entire process takes about 14 hours, with millions of new viruses produced daily.
3. Describe the pathophysiology and stages of HIV infection.

HIV infection progresses through four main stages:

 Primary Infection Period: This initial stage period upon infection is asymptomatic and usually lasts between
two and four weeks. The initial infection with HIV generally occurs after transfer of body fluids from an
infected person to an uninfected one
 Acute Infection: Following the primary period, there is a burst of viremia. Symptoms include flu-like
manifestations such as fever, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, rash, and muscle pain. CD4+ T cell counts
decrease significantly (by 20-40%), and this stage lasts 2 to 4 weeks. Antibodies develop during this time,
usually within 2 to 8 weeks, culminating in seroconversion.
 Latency Stage: After acute infection, the viral replication continues at low levels, and the immune system
fights back, leading to a partial rebound in CD4+ T cell counts. This stage can last for 2 weeks to up to 20 years.
Although patients may be asymptomatic, they remain infectious.
 AIDS Stage: The individual is classified as having AIDS when the CD4+ T cell count drops below 200 cells/µL or
when they develop an AIDS-defining condition. Symptoms may include unexplained weight loss, recurrent
infections, skin rashes, and oral ulcers. Without treatment, individuals can live 8 to 10 years post-infection
before progressing to AIDS.

4. Give an account of how HIV affects an individual’s health.


HIV severely affects an individual’s health primarily by depleting CD4+ T cells, which are crucial for immune
response. As the number of CD4+ T cells declines, the body's ability to fight off opportunistic infections and
certain cancers diminishes, leading to AIDS. The clinical manifestations include:
- Increased susceptibility to infections that are typically non-threatening to healthy individuals, such as
pneumonia, tuberculosis, and various skin infections.
- Opportunistic infections can lead to severe health complications, often resulting in hospitalization or
death due to the weakened immune system.

5. Explain the mechanisms used by HIV to destroy host immunity and outline how HIV ultimately
evades Hosts immunity.

HIV employs several mechanisms to destroy host immunity:


 Direct Cell Killing: HIV can directly kill infected CD4+ T cells when a large amount of virus is produced,
leading to cell membrane disruption or interference with cellular functions.
 Syncytia Formation: Infected CD4+ T cells can fuse with uninfected neighboring cells, forming large,
multinucleated cells called syncytia. This cell-to-cell spread results in the death of otherwise healthy T
cells.
 Apoptosis: HIV can induce apoptosis in both infected and uninfected T cells by distorting cellular
regulation through its proteins, leading to programmed cell death.
 Innocent Bystanders: Uninfected cells can be marked for destruction by CD8+ T cells if they
mistakenly appear to be infected with HIV due to the presence of viral proteins on their surface.

HIV ultimately evades host immunity by continuously mutating, allowing it to escape detection by antibodies
and killer T cells. This antigenic variation means that the immune response generated against one strain of HIV
may not be effective against other variants, leading to persistent infection despite the presence of antibodies.
Additionally, chronic activation of the immune system can impair the ability of B cells to produce effective
antibodies against other pathogens.

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