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HIV takes over the CD4 cell

HIV now takes control, inserting its own codes into the command center so that the reprogrammed CD4 cell will make new virus.

CD4 cell becomes an HIV factory

The infected CD4 cell is now an HIV factory, pumping out new viral parts. A third enzyme, called "protease," cuts out and assembles the new viral parts into new copies of the virus. New copies of the virus leave the cell ready to seek out more and more CD4 cells to invade.

Overview: HIV infects a healthy CD4 cell

Once inside a CD4 cell, HIV uses three special enzymes to make copies of itself -- reverse transcriptase, integrase, and protease.

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