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2022
This striking image, produced by the NIAID Institute, captures a key moment in the HIV cycle: the moment when the virus leaves the cell it has infected.
HIV targets CD4+ T lymphocytes, the backbone of the immune system. By penetrating these cells, it hijacks their machinery to multiply, gradually weakening the body's defenses.
What we see here is the final phase: budding. Freshly assembled viral particles emerge from the cell membrane to infect other targets.
Today, this step is at the heart of therapeutic research: blocking the release of the virus means breaking its propagation.
While current treatments can control viral replication, they do not eliminate latent reservoirs. Understanding every detail of this viral outflow remains essential if we are to hope for complete eradication.
What this image reveals is not just an infected cell, but a microscopic theater where biology, medicine and one of the most complex viruses of our time come face to face.
