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Is AIDS a Virus or Bacteria?

AIDS is neither a virus nor bacterium; it is a syndrome (a series of conditions) caused by a virus called HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). This viral pathogen, which targets the cells of the immune system, often leads to the development of AIDS in HIV-positive people.

  1. Features

    • HIV is a lentivirus of the larger family retroviridae. Lentiviruses are slow-acting, which leads to the long latent (asymptomatic) period of infection. Retroviruses use enzymes called reverse transcriptase and integrase to make DNA from their own genetic code, RNA, and then to integrate it into the DNA of host cells.

    Effects

    • HIV targets the cells of the immune system (called lymphocytes), in particular CD4+ cells. HIV changes these cells so that they produce more copies of the virus instead of contributing to the body's immune response.

    Early Stages

    • During acute HIV infection, newly infected persons may develop flu-like symptoms similar to those of other viral infections. Following this, a long period of latency passes, when there are no symptoms of HIV infection.

    AIDS

    • According to UCSFhealth.org, AIDS is diagnosed in HIV-positive persons when the number of CD4+ cells drops to below 200 per milliliter of blood, when these cells make up less than 14 percent of lymphocytes or when an AIDS-defining illness occurs.

    Impact of AIDS

    • Because AIDS occurs when the immune response has been depleted by HIV, a series of conditions like trush, Pneumocystis pneumonia, Kaposi's sarcoma, toxoplasmosis and many others develop. These conditions do not occur in people with healthy, functioning immune systems.

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