Why can we get HIV to a viral load of 0 but can’t get rid of the virus?
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ID doc here. Like other viruses HIV integrates itself into DNA of its target cells. The cell that HIV infects is called the CD4 cell. CD4 cells are a type of white blood cell. They’re sort of like the generals of the immune system that direct the other cells. Anti retro virals (ART) work by inhibiting the enzymes required by HIV to replicate itself. This is why a person can achieve an undetectable viral load. The viral load is measuring the number of copies of the virus in the blood. However ART can only inhibit the machinery used for relocation. It cannot eliminate the virus because the viral genome is already integrated into the DNA of the host CD4 cell. The only way to eliminate I.e. cure the infection is to eliminate all infected CD4 cells from this host. This is how some people have been “cured” of HIV. They developed leukemia (a cancer of white blood cells) and required chemotherapy to wipe out all of their white cells including HIV infected CD4 cells. They then receive a stem cell transplant. Since the transplanted CD4 cells from the donor are HIV free, they end up being “cured” of HIV
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