For the first time in the history of HIV/AIDS, a team of scientists from UC Davis university in California, and Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York filmed an HIV infected cell as it infected a healthy cell — and it’s going to change the way HIV is treated because it’s not replicating the way everyone thought it was. To film it, they inserted a protein into an infected cell (a clone of one, to be precise) that glows green when exposed to blue light, and the captured it on digital film. You can see HIV in action above; it’s fucking creepy. Basically, it creates an intentional bridge to a healthy cell through which it trucks the infection. Sneaky. To understand why HIV has spoofed science with its infection process, the Telegraph UK explains:
For decades it was believed that HIV was mostly spread around the body through freely circulating particles, which attach themselves to a cell, take over its replication machinery and make multiple copies of themselves.
In 2004, scientists discovered that cell-to-cell transfer of HIV also occurred via virological synapses, but it was not understood why the process was so effective in spreading the virus.
Due to this, previous efforts to create an HIV vaccine have focused on priming the immune system to recognise and attack proteins of free-circulating virus.
The new video footage indicates that HIV avoids recognition by being directly transferred between cells. (…read more, telegraph.co.uk)
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Actually, it really looks like a predatory attack to me. On a microcosmic level, it’s akin to a Komodo Dragon biting its prey to inject toxic saliva. Or maybe rape on a cellular level.
Holy crap.
Creepy as hell. Thanks for the pointer.
It looks like they’re doin’ it. As above, so below.
you bet. yes, it’s a really big deal, I’m frankly quite shocked it hasn’t made more headlines.
Wow. This is huge. Thanks for posting.
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