Question

Name the type of cells the AIDS virus first enters into after getting inside the human body. Explain the sequence of events that the virus undergoes within these cells to increase their progeny.

Answer 1

The target cells of the AIDS virus when it first enters the host body are the CD4+ lymphocyte. After entering the cell the virus uses the machinery of the host cell to replicate and increase its progeny. The virus after entering the cell releases its RNA into the host cell. Here, it is first converted into a double stranded DNA by the enzyme reverse transcriptase. The double stranded DNA then gets integrated into the DNA of the host cell. The viral DNA is then replicated along with the host cell DNA to form the viral proteins. The new viruses are then assembled from the RNA and the protein from. In this way the virus continues to replicate and multiply inside the host cell.