HIV survives in an infected person by attacking and killing white blood cells called helper T lymphocytes. Other white blood cells called cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) or killer T cells are responsible for destroying infected cells.
A study published in the PLoS Biology journal suggests that CTLs only destroy a small percentage of HIV-infected helper T lymphocytes.
Image: The cytotoxic, "killer," T lymphocyte response kills only a fraction of the total number of HIV-infected lymphocytes in humans infected with the virus. The small spheres visible on the cell surface are viral particles. (Photo: © C. Goldsmith, CDC)
Read about this story: Inefficient Immune Killer Cells Abet HIV Infection (Gross L (2006) PLoS Biol 4(4): e114)
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