HIV TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROGRAPH

Date

1983

Description

This highly magnified transmission electron micrographic (TEM) image revealed the presence of mature forms of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in a tissue sample under investigation. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), a retrovirus, was identified in 1983 as the etiologic agent for the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is characterized by changes in the population of T-cell lymphocytes that play a key role in the immune defense system. In the infected individual, the virus causes a depletion of subpopulation of T-cells, called T-helper cells, which leaves these patients susceptible to opportunistic infections, as well as certain malignancies.

Source

Public Health Image Library