why can't immunity neutralize hiv?HELP ANYONE.

[tejaswini]

listen everyone this a very serious question. when a virus enters it triggers off the interferon production , and they try to interfere with the virus. so even when hiv enters they should be some kind of a reaction , why can't the antibodies fight against it. all right it mutates but the mutation has to be a point mutation or how does the virus retain it's identity.i'm confused.

[Sisyphus]

I think there is a reaction, but since HIV attacks the immune system specifically, the body loses the ability to "recognize" and destroy the virus.

[prion]

I'm not an immunology expert but my understanding of it is that HIV attacks T helper cells (CD4+) cells. This is why people with HIV have "CD4 counts" done on their blood samples - to see how many/few T helper cells they've got. T helper cells are pretty important for an immune response to be mounted against anything - they kind of help to activate different bits of the pathway and generally get things going, including the B-cells that make antibodies. So the reason the immune system can't attack HIV is because HIV has got to the immune system first. When people have HIV it's not just HIV that they can't get rid of, they are susceptible to any infection, for the same reason.

 

The body does make antibodies to HIV - I think often when people are tested to see if they've got HIV it's actually the antibodies against it that the test looks for. But it's never enough because the immune system is disabled by the virus.

[Dark Photon]

Human Immunodeficiancy Virus (HIV) attacks the Immume system directly, normally virus attack other living cells and Certan White (clear) blood cells will take care of them however HIV attacks the defences so you cannot fight them. and also since it only Attacks defenses it wont kill you. however once HIV has done its work, a common Cold will kill you.

[Blunt]

I'm not an immunology expert but my understanding of it is that HIV attacks T helper cells (CD4+) cells. This is why people with HIV have "CD4 counts" done on their blood samples - to see how many/few T helper cells they've got. T helper cells are pretty important for an immune response to be mounted against anything - they kind of help to activate different bits of the pathway and generally get things going' date=' including the B-cells that make antibodies. So the reason the immune system can't attack HIV is because HIV has got to the immune system first. When people have HIV it's not just HIV that they can't get rid of, they are susceptible to any infection, for the same reason.

 

The body does make antibodies to HIV - I think often when people are tested to see if they've got HIV it's actually the antibodies against it that the test looks for. But it's never enough because the immune system is disabled by the virus.[/quote']

 

 

truth.

 

the helper T cells are the one that inform the immune system that a new virus has entered the body. Now i aint that big on HIV but as far as i remember people dont die due to HIV they die cause the HIV has affected the immune system so bad it cant fight other virusses.

 

BTW. first post in this forum so hi you guys seems like a good forum with user speaking in a generally good tone and with alot of knowledge.

 

sorry if my english is a littel rubbish...

[zyncod]

The body actually fights off HIV very effectively. Immediately after infection, viral titers rise to a level that is not seen again until the person is almost dead. By 6 weeks, virus levels are almost undetectable; however, the virus has inserted its genome in host T cells and becomes latent. Small amounts of virus are released over time, killing more and more T cells until eventually the immune system is unable to cope with opportunistic infections.

 

Actually, one of the big areas in research right now is trying to get latently infected T cells to reactivate high levels of HIV virion production so that the cells harboring the virus can be killed off. In that case, HIV might actually be cured rather than simply controlled.

[tejaswini]

thanks everyone that helps.

[Super Genius]

I'm not an immunology expert but my understanding of it is that HIV attacks T helper cells (CD4+) cells. This is why people with HIV have "CD4 counts" done on their blood samples - to see how many/few T helper cells they've got. T helper cells are pretty important for an immune response to be mounted against anything - they kind of help to activate different bits of the pathway and generally get things going' date=' including the B-cells that make antibodies. So the reason the immune system can't attack HIV is because HIV has got to the immune system first. When people have HIV it's not just HIV that they can't get rid of, they are susceptible to any infection, for the same reason.

 

The body does make antibodies to HIV - I think often when people are tested to see if they've got HIV it's actually the antibodies against it that the test looks for. But it's never enough because the immune system is disabled by the virus.[/quote']This is correct ,and I have read that many people with HIV died not because of the virus itself but by other oportunistic micro-organism like bacteria, fungi etc.