Why is the aids virus so deadly?
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) isn’t a virus, but as its name implies, it’s a syndrome. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus is what causes the damage. AIDS is simply the symptoms which ensue after being infected by HIV. HIV infects helper T-cells with its genetic information, and as such what happens is that these infected helper T-cells incorporate the genetic information into their respective nuclei. The infected helper T-cells then continue to replicate normally producing more infected helper T-cells. Eventually, an unknown trigger causes these infected helper T-cells to begin to synthesize new HIV cells, and eventually end up bursting. Without the helper T-cells, the immune system is suppressed against fighting bacterial and viral infections. As a result, it’s the non-self objects (viral and bacterial cells) which end up killing you.
