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GENEZINGMEDICIJNENPREVENTIEALGEMEEN

CD8 cells and antibodies

 
When HIV enters the body, the immune system doesn’t immediately stop fighting disease. That’s because the CD4 cell has some ‘co-workers’:
  • The CD8 cell. The CD8 cell’s job is to destroy intruding viruses.
     
  • The B cell. This cell produces antibodies that eliminate viruses. The first HIV tests detected these antibodies, which proved that a person had HIV.

The main problem for the CD8 cells and the antibodies is that HIV is constantly changing slightly (mutation), so that it is no longer recognisable. This cat-and-mouse game is made even more difficult because – once it has taken over a CD4 cell – the HIV virus can replicate itself endlessly. So CD8 cells and antibodies have to work very hard to eliminate all the virus copies.

If many CD4 cells become infected with HIV, the CD8 cells and antibodies are no longer able to keep up with the virus. Your immune system becomes so weakened that it no longer functions properly. Then the body becomes susceptible to other viruses, bacteria and fungal infections, so the person becomes ill and could die.