What Cells Does HIV Infect

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Articles

Focusing on CD8: The "Other T Cell" in HIV Infection

Two types of T cells are critically important in HIV infection. Most discussion of these immune cells refers to the subset known as CD4+, which is the cell type counted during most patient visits to gauge when to start antiretroviral therapy and the... Read more »

CD4+ Cell Count Decline in HIV-Infected Patients Is Growing More Rapid, Military Study Suggests

There's nothing like hearing the results of studies directly from those who actually conducted the research. In this interview, you'll meet one of these impressive HIV researchers and read her explanation of the study she presented at ICAAC/IDSA... Read more »

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Incomplete Peripheral CD4+ Cell Count Restoration in HIV-Infected Patients Receiving Long-Term Antiretroviral Treatment

In most HIV-positive patients, antiretroviral therapy can fully restore a normal CD4+ cell count of more than 500 cells/mm 3 . However, the researchers note, it is not clear whether all patients can achieve normalization of their CD4+ cell count, in... Read more »

Ask the Experts

Specific cells HIV infect or not

I know that HIV does not infect vaginal epithelial cells, but what specific cell types does HIV infect and not infect? ...

Response from Mark Holodniy, M.D., F.A.C.P., C.I.C.

Stanford University, School of Medicine

There is a long list of cells that can be infected, but the primary cells are t cells and monocytes.... Read more »

White Blood Cells during primary HIV infection

I am confused about this whole white blood cell thing. There are doctors who believe that during acute retroviral syndrome/primary HIV infections that white blood cell and lymphs are low, and others say that they would be high, which is true??...

Response from Bruce Dezube, M.D.

Harvard Medical School

I don't believe there is enough published to say definitively what happens to white cells during the acute retroviral syndroma/primary HIV infection. In general, in viral infections, the white blood cell count typically does go down; this is... Read more »

how many cell-fee HIV need to infect a vagina

Dear MarkIf HIV is transmitted from man to woman, is it true that only a few cell-free particles are required for infection to occur via the vagina and if so, how few cell-free particles are required?...

Response from Mark Holodniy, M.D., F.A.C.P., C.I.C.

Stanford University, School of Medicine

The answer is truly unknowable.... Read more »

If HIV kills CD4 cells that present themselves, can high CD4 levels in first years of infection later result in faster progression to AIDS?

Dr. Holodniy, I am searching for the right words, but have an important question:It is often assumed that the more CD4 cells in a T cell subset, the better. But,in that the more CD4's that present themselves, the more for HIV to kill, could...

Response from Mark Holodniy, M.D., F.A.C.P., C.I.C.

Stanford University, School of Medicine

Not alot of studies on this issue. It is usually assumed that those infected people with such high CD4 counts, usually have low or undetectable viral loads, indicating an immune system with better capability to contain viral replication. It has... Read more »

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New Virus Leads Drugs to HIV-Infected Cells

Posted by new2this2010

This is great news.

http://www.dailytech.com/New+Virus+Leads+Drugs+to+HIVInfected+Cells/article22391.htm#cmt706319 Read more »

See,I told you HIV replicates a cell's DNA TO RNA

Posted by Anonymous, 1 Reply

The below is plagerized from Gallant ( the guru!)
I know that the present antiretroviral medications do not actually kill the virus.
However, if the medications inhibit the virus from reproducing, doesn't the virus die
by... Read more »

Acute HIV Infection Overview

Posted by Anonymous

1. Acute HIV-1 Infection
Marcus Altfeld and Bruce D. Walker

Introduction

Acute HIV-1 infection presents in 40 - 90 % of cases as a transient symptomatic illness, associated with high levels of HIV-1 replication and an expansive virus-specific immune... Read more »

RECENT STUDY ORAL SEX & HIV INFECTION

Posted by Anonymous, 1 Reply

"UTMB Study Explains Why Oral Sex Unsafe in Age of HIV"
Houston Chronicle Online (02/03/00); Hopper, Leigh
New research from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston shows the reason why oral sex is unsafe as a way to avoid HIV.... Read more »

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