Causes of Acute HIV Infection

Causes of Acute HIV Infection

AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease along with syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea. But, the acute HIV infection that develops after the initial exposure to human immunodeficiency virus is not similar to AIDS. It may take several years for the initial infection to cause AIDS or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Acute HIV infection is caused by a rapid proliferation or replication of human immunodeficiency virus. Upon entering the body, HIV attaches itself to the CD4 or T4 cells, a type of white blood cells. These white blood cells responsible for fighting infectious agents.

HIV first attaches to the CD4 cells and then injects it's RNA into the cell. In this way, it takes over the CD4 cell and then replicates using the division mechanism of the host cell (CD4 cell). The new HIV cells continue the process of replication. As a result, the number of CD4 cells decline, while the number of HIV cell increases in the body. The symptoms of acute HIV infection appears during this period. However, this condition does not last long, as the immune system responds after a while, and increases the number of CD4 cells vigorously. These CD4 cells remove much of the virus from the blood. The battle between HIV and CD4 cells continue, which can last for many years till the number of the virus in the body increases to such an extent that the immune system starts losing the battle.