... the reason why HIV is so hard to fight. I will discuss the fact that there are different strains of the virus later in this essay. (Bibliography part three) (Bibliography part three) The human immunodeficiency virus attaches to a CD4 protein on the surface of a white blood cell, and the envelope fuses with the cell membrane. The HIV virus fuses to the T-lymphocyte white blood cell. The virus then releases its genetic material into the cell, where the reverse transcriptase enzyme converts the virus's RNA into double-stranded DNA. The viral RNA enters the nucleus of the cell and adds itself to the cells own DNA. The, now changed, DNA of the cell causes the production of new viral RNA and proteins. These are put together to form a new viral nucleoid, which buds off from the T-lymphocyte, taking a piece of the host cell's membrane to form a new envelope. ...

See this essay or coursework document in full right now