How human immunodeficiency virus ravages the immune system.
The immune system of individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus is affected in two distinct ways: by loss of CD4+ cells and by loss of T-helper-cell function. Neither of these processes is yet fully understood. Research during 1991 that investigated the interaction between human immunodeficiency virus and the immune system has raised as many questions as it answered. Nevertheless, many of the issues raised are relevant to mechanisms responsible for the ravaging of the immune system by human immunodeficiency virus.
Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
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D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology