Replication

Destruction of the Host Cell

  • The mechanism of host cell destruction remains under investigation, but three possibilities have been proposed:
    1. Viral budding tears a hole in the host cell's membrane, causing cytoplasmic leakage.
    2. The supply of useful T-lymphocytes is depleted, resulting from the formation of huge, functionless syncytia.
    3. Some mechanisms cause the provirus to provoke the synthesis of a large number of new HIV particles, causing the rapid depletion of cellular components and with it the destruction of the cell.

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