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Actually the immune system does fight HIV during the acute infection stage after a person is first exposed, and antibodies are generated. The immune response t
by betterunix2 5y ago
Actually the immune system does fight HIV during the acute infection stage after a person is first exposed, and antibodies are generated. The immune response to HIV is what does most of the damage to the immune system, since a typical immune response to virus infection involves the destruction of infected cells. HIV infects certain immune cells, which will either self-destruct when the infection is detected or will be destroyed by other immune cells.
- bayesian_horse 5y agoAlso, some people actually develop the so called "broadly neutralizing antibodies" and become immune to AIDs as a consequence. There have even be experimental treatments where HIV infected patients who also got Leukemia got treated with radiation, and then a stemcell donation from someone with such an immunity. And they are indeed cured (for practical purposes, there are some details...). Unfortunately, those donors are rare and the radiation therapy etc is probably worse than the chronic antiviral therapy, which is why this is not a more common treatment for HIV. Of course, inducing these particular antibodies has been the goal of various immunization efforts. Unfortunately this proved more challenging than it might seem.