Impact of HIV on Immune Response - Article Example

Running Head: Impact of HIV on immune response Impact of HIV on immune response [Institute’s Impact of HIV on immune response Since two decades, experts have observed a rapid advancement in medical science that has enabled apparent understanding about a number of biological, chemical, and physical processes of the human body. In specific, HIV has been the major focus of medical experts, especially immunologists in order to understand the relation of deficit of immune system with HIV (human immunodefiency virus), and findings have indicated that factors related to HIV have resulted in adverse impact on immune system and its responses in the human body. However, a number of experts have argued that all such findings are preliminary and only further researches and findings will provide a concrete understanding of such impact of HIV infection in the human body. In specific, few studies (Frelinger et al, pp. 1-11, 1999) have indicated that HIV infection affects different functions of the brain that cause pathological alterations, and thus, adverse changes in the capability of the immune system. On the other hand, some experts have specified that HIV primarily affect the immune system that results in dysfunction of human brain and other processes of the body accordingly. However, a notion similar in both schools of thought is deterioration of integrity of immune that is one of the major effects of HIV infection, which encourages other infections to dominate and attack the immune system. Moreover, experts have identified that a number of patients of HIV have had practices of substance abuse in the past or have in the present that has a significant role in the impact of HIV on the immune response. Thus, it is an observation that a number of experts have focused on the effects of HIV along with consideration of experiences of substance abuse, such as alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, etc (Gibney & Vorster, pp. 45-59, 2009). One of the major causes of focusing on substance abuse factor is that numerable drugs caused pathological alterations in the functions of human brain that subsequently cause deficiency in the immune system, and thus, a number of experts argue over the integrity of results that indicate HIV’s impact on the immune system. In response, various studies have shown adverse and detrimental effects of HIV infection on immune responses, and findings of such studies will be the major focus of discussion in this paper. HIV is a type of viruses that are minute organisms and are responsible for a number of human diseases. Different viruses acquire different modes of transmittal, such as flu from air, herpes from physical interaction, polio from water, etc. However, HIV is a retrovirus that can transmit only through blood and sexual transmission, and once it transmits in the stream, it starts to deteriorate different functions and roles of the immune system (Deeks and Walker, pp. 808-10, 2004). Experts (Gibney & Vorster, pp. 45-59, 2009) have indicated that various types of cells constitute a human immune system, and all such cells are responsible for protection against diseases and infection by destruction of viruses, germs, etc. Antibodies, special proteins in the immune system are the major defense players that help the system to fight against different viruses, even HIV. For example, T-helper cells or CD4-t cells are managers of the immune system that coordinate with different cells of the system to fight against any infection. As soon as human immunodefiency virus is able to go into the blood, its foremost responsibility is search for abovementioned antibodies. Upon identification of t-helper cells, HIV works as a self-copier while creating its different replications that enforces t-helper cells to shatter, allowing numerable copies of HIV to flow into the bloodstream. Such process of replication continues with other t-helper cells in the human system in a continual manner. At this moment, strong immune system endeavors to fight against the infected t-helper cells and demolish them from the body (Biasi & Rocino, pp. 1919-22, 1991). Interestingly, HIV is able to infect all the t-helper cells that results in self-destruction of the immune system, allowing various diseases and infections to dominate the immune system (Gibney & Vorster, pp. 45-59, 2009). (Gupta, pp. 23-29, 1996) 1 HIV in the blood 2 & 3 HIV enters t-helper cells 4 HIV using its genetic data into t-helper cells 5 An exceptional process that permit this data to become an ingredient of the T-helper cell 6 Infected t-helper cell 7 Replication process of HIV 8 Shattering of t-helper cells that allows numerable amount of new HIV to roam in the bloodstream As earlier mentioned that shattering of t-helper cells results in numerable amount of new HIV in the blood; however, interestingly, experts have noted that cytotoxic-T and some other cells successfully eliminate infected cells, as well as new viruses that results in reduction of growth of HIV cells, and immune system works in its normal condition. However, after considerable time, experts (Frelinger et al, pp. 1-11, 1999) have noticed gradual re-eruption of HIV in the bloodstream that causes reduction in the number of t-helper cells. At this time, HIV against starts to enter in the t-helper cells, carrying out replication process, shattering these cells, and then roaming in the bloodstream again. However, HIV becomes dominant this time, as it had already destructed immune system’s ability of producing new cells, and this is one of the most extraordinary and distinctive characteristics of HIV, as compared with other viruses (Biasi & Rocino, pp. 1919-22, 1991). In this regard, the relation of immune system and the HIV has always been of survival. During this fight and attack of HIV, a healthy immune system attempts to produce new T-cells that help infected cells to fight against the HIV. Studies have indicated that such fight for survival of the fittest may continue for a decade or even may end in a year, depending on previous condition of the immune system (Deeks and Walker, pp. 808-10, 2004). In this regard, individuals with experiences of alcohol or drugs are more likely to give up soon, as compared with individuals with no such experience. The condition when immune system completely fails to confront and defend itself against HIV, the individual confronts AIDS (Gupta, pp. 23-29, 1996). In this regard, material related to HIV and immune response has indicated that acute repression of t-cell ability is the foremost step of HIV during the initial stage. Subsequently, it affects the immune response by eliminating its production capacity, and in other words, weakening integrity of the system. Although a few studies (Frelinger et al, pp. 1-11, 1999) have indicated that HIV carries out the replication process throughout the body, especially in the nervous system; however, a majority of immunologists acknowledge its attack on the immune system rather than on neurobehavioral cells. In a collective manner, findings (Letvin and Walker, pp. 273-75, 2001) have specified that during attack on the t-helper cells, HIV simultaneously affect different functions of the brain, especially brain tissue that sends negative orders to the neurotransmitter, as well as functions responsible for metabolism in the body. A number of immunologists have related such negative influence on brain functions as another way of affecting immune response of the humans. In other words, due to negative influences, path of blood and brain confronts barriers that results in the reduction of usual response abilities of the immune system. As earlier discussed, HIV attacks the immune system and gradually diminishes its defense ability, few experts carried out study on the similar effects of HIV. They suggested that although previous studies have indicated gradual process HIV’s attack, however, recent studies (Letvin and Walker, pp. 273-75, 2001) have shown quick attack by HIV on the immune system that subsequently results in musculoskeletal effects in the body, causing diseases, infections, etc. Moreover, they indicated specific pattern of HIV’s attack by saying that HIV attacks the immune system in three phases that results in quick neutralization of the immune system. However, debate is still continuous between experts regarding rapid or gradual attacks of HIV, as pace of the attack plays a crucial role in the treatment and diagnosis process of HIV patients, and very imperative for the creation of HIV vaccines (Gupta, pp. 23-29, 1996). Lastly, few recent studies (Gibney & Vorster, pp. 87-95, 2009) related to the impact of HIV on immune response have suggested categorization of the immune system, especially its two branches. According to them, innate and adaptive are the two divisions of the human immune system that are the major defense players. Whenever a virus attacks the immune system, the innate branch plays the role of forward player that is responsible for the recognition, as well as its elimination (Gibney & Vorster, pp. 45-59, 2009). During the attack, macrophages are the crucial cells that facilitate innate branch to recognize HIV that usually find its location in mucosal tissues. In cases when innate branch fails in invading infected viruses or bacteria, it then becomes duty of adaptive division to respond and defend against the attack. However, immunologists have indicated that adaptive branch takes a longer time to activate and respond to the attack. This is one of the reasons that experts have encouraged early detection of HIV, as deactivation of adaptive branch and failure of innate system gives a considerable amount of time to HIV to carry out their attack, which then does not allow experts to diagnose the patients in an effective manner. Moreover, even if innate branch is defendable, it will only work for mostly a week, and HIV infection will then be able to deactivate innate branch. In this regard, recent advancements in medical science have enabled creation of vaccines and systems that may detect HIV in its initial stage within a week. Furthermore, immunologists (Gibney & Vorster, pp. 63-66, 2009) have noted that location of HIV during its initial stage is quite complicated and hidden, and thus, it becomes quite problematic and complex to identify infected individuals. In this regard, further researches will play a significant and crucial role in better understanding of processes related to HIV and immune system that will be beneficial for HIV patients in the near future. Conclusively, the paper has discussed some of the significant aspects of the process of HIV infection in the immune system, and the impact of HIV on immune responses. It is an expectation that the paper will be beneficial for students, teachers, and professionals in better understanding of the topic. References Biasi, R. D., Rocino, A. (1991). “The impact of a very high purity factor VIII concentrate on the immune system of human immunodeficiency virus-infected hemophiliacs.” The American Society of Hematology. Volume 78, Issue 8, pp. 1919-22. Deeks, Steven G. and Walker, Bruce D. (2004). “The immune response to AID virus infection.” Journal of Clinical Investigation. Volume 113, Issue 6, pp. 808-10. Frelinger, Jeffrey A., Cogswell, Patricia C., Baldwin, Albert S., Jr., Matsui, Masanori, Warburton, Robert J. (1999). “Effects of HIV-1 Tat on expression of HLA class I molecules.” Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. Issue of 1999. Gibney, Michael J & Vorster, Hester H. (2009). Introduction to Human Nutrition. Wiley-Blackwell. Gupta, Sudhir. (1996). Immunology of HIV Infection. Plenum Medical Book Co. Letvin, Norman L. and Walker, Bruce D. (2001). “HIV versus the immune system.” Journal of Clinical Investigation. Volume 107, Issue 3, pp. 273-75. Read More