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AIDS HIV - the virus, tests and treatment
A virus is a tiny organism (any living thing is an organism). This means that as strange as it sounds this virus, the aids virus has life of its own. The average Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus presumed responsible for AIDS, is about 0.000031 inches (120 Angstroms) long. Several thousand of them could fit into the period at the end of this sentence.
Viruses are hard to find. An electron microscope, a large and expensive device, is required to "see" them. But before using a microscope, one must first know where to look. Chemical tests of body tissues usually reveal viral chemical activity and, thus, the site of viral infection.
Viruses are not cells. Cells are the structural units of most living things. Some organisms, like the amoeba, are one-celled organisms. Others, like humans, are multi-celled organisms. Cells contain fluid and specialized structures. Unlike cells, viruses contain no fluid nor do they perform any life processes, such as growth or reproduction, on their own.
http://www.thehivaids.com/
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HIV attacks and kills crucial immune system cells, known as T-helper cells. Without T-helper cells, which kill cells that have been infected with germs, many other immune system cells cannot not work properly, including B-cells that make antibodies. A person infected with HIV may not show any symptoms for years. But untreated, the number of T-helper cells steadily drops. Eventually, the numbers fall so low that the risk of infection greatly increases, and the symptoms of AIDS appear.
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/on-line/lifecycle/120.asp
AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome:
Acquired means you can get infected with it;
Immune Deficiency means a weakness in the body s system that fights diseases.
Syndrome means a group of health problems that make up a disease.
AIDS is caused by a virus called HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. If you get infected with HIV, your body will try to fight the infection. It will make "antibodies," special molecules to fight HIV.
A blood test for HIV looks for these antibodies. If you have them in your blood, it means that you have HIV infection. People who have the HIV antibodies are called "HIV-Positive." Fact Sheet 102 has more information on HIV testing.
Being HIV-positive, or having HIV disease, is not the same as having AIDS. Many people are HIV-positive but don t get sick for many years. As HIV disease continues, it slowly wears down the immune system. Viruses, parasites, fungi and bacteria that usually don t cause any problems can make you very sick if your immune system is damaged. These are called "opportunistic infections." See Fact Sheet 500 for an overview of opportunistic infections.
http://www.aids.org/factSheets/101-What-is-AIDS.html
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