What are the synptoms of AIDS?
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is caused by the Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The virus kills immune cells of the host. A person can acquire HIV by sexual contact or by using needles contaminated by the virus. HIV infected mother can also spread HIV to her child, either during delivery or in breast milk.
HIV’s main target is helper T cells which are adaptive immune response. Infected helper T cells die as they assemble and release new viruses, which then infect further helper T cells.
However, for months to a decade or more, people with HIV remain symptom-free. Because extremely low levels of the virus present in their blood and the body can produce enough new T cells to compensate for the loss. During this latent period (the period between infection and the onset of symptoms), B cells manufacture antibodies to the virus. Unfortunately, these antibodies do not prevent new viruses from forming and infecting other cells. As helper T cell counts decline, the ability of the immune system to fight the virus also weakens. Eventually, the immune system fails completely, and opportunistic infections such as candidiasis, cryptosporidiosis, tuberculosis, and cancers of AIDS begin.
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