HIV Infection and the Immune Systém

Overview

During HIV infection the immune system fails. How this happens is the problem of researchfocused on the pathogenesis of this infection is concerned. In recent years in this field a numberof important discoveries were made. They pertain in the first place to chemokine receptorswhich in addition to molecule CD4 participate in the penetration of HIV into the cell. And alsochemokines which are natural ligands of these receptors.HIV replicates intensely throughout the HIV infection. A new feature are research data on itsreplication in lymph nodes, where the role of an important virus reservoir is held by folliculardendritic cells. When the cells of the immune system are destroyed, in particular CD4 and CD8several mechanisms become involved.

Key words:
HIV infection - chemokines - chemokine receptors - follicular dendritic cells (FDC)- CD4+ T lymphocytes - CD8+ T lymphocytes.