The Battle Against HIV.
The purpose of this essay is to explain why the HIV virus is so dangerous and why scientists have yet to be able to find a vaccine or a cure. Before I do so I will explain the precise details of the virus and how it infects an individual. Also I must note that acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is closely linked to HIV as it is the developed form of the virus. That is, HIV eventually causes AIDS.
(Bibliography part three)
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is made up of a nucleoid core and the surrounding protein matrix, both surrounded by a lipid envelope. The nucleoid core contains the virus's genetic material (RNA) and the enzyme reverse transcriptase, which are both used by the virus to replicate itself inside the host cell. The proteins gp41 and the gp120 are attached to the envelope; these proteins enable HIV to bind and fuse with a target host cell. Each different strain of the HIV virus has different proteins on its envelope. This is part of the reason why HIV is so hard to fight. I will discuss the fact that there are different strains of the virus later in this essay.
(Bibliography part three)
(Bibliography part three)
The human immunodeficiency virus attaches to a CD4 protein on the surface of a white blood cell, and the envelope fuses with the cell membrane. The HIV virus fuses to the T-lymphocyte white blood cell. The virus then releases its genetic material into the cell, where the reverse transcriptase enzyme converts the virus's RNA into double-stranded DNA. The viral RNA enters the nucleus of the cell and adds itself to the cells own DNA. The, now changed, DNA of the cell causes the production of new viral RNA and proteins. These are put together to form a new viral nucleoid, which buds off from the T-lymphocyte, taking a piece of the host cell's membrane to form a new envelope. A new HIV virus has been formed. This happens in many white blood cells and shows how frighteningly quickly the HIV virus can multiply inside an infected person. Each of these new HIV virus cells can then go on to repeat the same process and produce "offspring" of their own.
The purpose of this essay is to explain why the HIV virus is so dangerous and why scientists have yet to be able to find a vaccine or a cure. Before I do so I will explain the precise details of the virus and how it infects an individual. Also I must note that acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is closely linked to HIV as it is the developed form of the virus. That is, HIV eventually causes AIDS.
(Bibliography part three)
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is made up of a nucleoid core and the surrounding protein matrix, both surrounded by a lipid envelope. The nucleoid core contains the virus's genetic material (RNA) and the enzyme reverse transcriptase, which are both used by the virus to replicate itself inside the host cell. The proteins gp41 and the gp120 are attached to the envelope; these proteins enable HIV to bind and fuse with a target host cell. Each different strain of the HIV virus has different proteins on its envelope. This is part of the reason why HIV is so hard to fight. I will discuss the fact that there are different strains of the virus later in this essay.
(Bibliography part three)
(Bibliography part three)
The human immunodeficiency virus attaches to a CD4 protein on the surface of a white blood cell, and the envelope fuses with the cell membrane. The HIV virus fuses to the T-lymphocyte white blood cell. The virus then releases its genetic material into the cell, where the reverse transcriptase enzyme converts the virus's RNA into double-stranded DNA. The viral RNA enters the nucleus of the cell and adds itself to the cells own DNA. The, now changed, DNA of the cell causes the production of new viral RNA and proteins. These are put together to form a new viral nucleoid, which buds off from the T-lymphocyte, taking a piece of the host cell's membrane to form a new envelope. A new HIV virus has been formed. This happens in many white blood cells and shows how frighteningly quickly the HIV virus can multiply inside an infected person. Each of these new HIV virus cells can then go on to repeat the same process and produce "offspring" of their own.
