AIDS

AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is a viral disease that ravages the immune system, undermining the body’s ability to defend itself from infection and disease. The virus HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) which leaves an infected person vulnerable to opportunistic infections causes AIDS. Such infections are harmless in healthy people, but in those whose immune systems have been greatly weakened, they can prove fatal. AIDS was first identified in 1981 among homosexual men and intravenous drug users …

…infected cell. Other drugs prevent HIV from binding with a CD4 cell in the first place, thereby barring HIV entry into cells. Some scientists focus on ways to fortify the immune system. A biological molecule called interleukin-2 shows promise in boosting the immune system’s arsenal of infection-fighting cells. Interleukin-2 stimulates the production of CD4 cells. If enough CD4 cells can be created, they may trigger other immune cell responses that can overpower HIV infection.