Can white blood cells “lose” to a germ in “combat”?

Question

I have heard infection talked about like a tiny war but do the germs attack and kill the white blood cells? Do they fight back?

In: 4

Answer 1

Thinking of it in terms of “combat” or “fighting” might be a little misleading, but yes, white blood cells can “lose.” HIV in particular is a virus that defeats white blood cells. The white blood cells, specifically a type of white blood cell called a CD4+ cell, tries to bind to the HIV particle to deactivate it, but the HIV actually enters the CD4+ cell and hijacks it to produce more copies of the virus, breaking the cell apart and killing it in the process.