In article <3d84cq$dju at serv.hinet.net>, roger at hntp2.hinet.net (roger) writes:
>can anybody explain this char for me?
>> ¢x ... .
> ¢x . . --- - .
> ¢x . . - - ...
> ¢x . --.- - .
> ¢x . -- . -..
> ¢x . -- . .. - .HIV virus
> ¢x+.++-+++++++++.++++++..++++++-++++ -Antibody
> ¢x. - ...... -- +limit
> ¢|¢w¢w¢w¢w¢w¢w¢w¢w¢w¢w¢w¢w¢w¢w¢w¢w¢w
>>you can email me at: roger at c2.hinet.net>I think your chart shows the progression of an AIDS patient. Soon after inf
infection, there is production of virus that is detectable by culturing
or by measuring p24 antigen in the blood. The patient then produces
antibody that reacts with the free virus, so it cannot be detected
as long as the infection is controlled by the patient's antibody
response. You can't detect virus by culturing then and circulating
p24 may be completely tied up by the antibody, so it can be negative
too. But a test for antibody will be positive at this time. Eventually,
the virus breaks free from the control of the immune system,
presumably because essential cells are selectively destroyed (CD4+
lymphocytes) and virus is produced again, and eventually the patient
dies. There may be undetectable levels of these things at certain
times during the process as shown in the graph. I hope this helps.
Rick
