Immunology Case Study You are a physician’s assistant working in the area of imm

Question

Immunology Case Study

You are a physician’s assistant working in the area of immunology.  You have a unique patient who came in demonstrating symptoms that you have never seen before. The first thing you discover from talking with the patient is that they are becoming sick much more easily than usual, particular with relapses of sicknesses they already have had. Upon examination you notice that the patient’s ability to activate T cells of various types, especially cytotoxic and helper T cells has been dramatically reduced. As any good physician’s assistant would do you immediately perform a blood cell count and notice a dramatic reduction in macrophages, but no change in T or B cell lymphocyte number in their blood or changes to visible T or B cell health.

1. Now if we assume this patient’s problem is mediated by a new form of virus tell me how this new virus is likely affecting this individual. Using approximately three or four sentences pretend you are explaining this disease directly to the patient involved so that this individual can understand what you think is occurring starting with the virus infection to why they are becoming so easily infected. For example, explain what the likely target of this virus is and why this virus is altering activity of helper and cytotoxic T cells?

Explanation / Answer

AIDS- Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome. It is caused by HIV- Hmuan Immuno Deficiency Virus. HIV is a member of a group of viruses called retrovirus, which have an envelope enclosing the RNA genome.

After getting into the body of the person, the virus enters into macrophages where RNA genome of the virus replicates to form viral DNA with the help of the enzyme reverse transcriptase.

This viral DNA incorporates into host's DNA and directs the infected cells to produce virus particles. The macrophages continue to produce virus and in this way macrophages acts like a HIV factory.

Simultaneously, HIV enters into helper T-lymphocytes, and it replicates and produce progeny viruses. The progeny viruses released in the blood attacks other helper T-lymphocytes. This is repeated leading to a progressive decrease in the number of helper T-LYMPHOCYTES in the body of infected person.

During this period, the person suffers from bouts of fever, diarrhoea and weight loss. Due to decrease in number of helper T-lymphocytes, the person starts suffering from infections that could have been otherwise overcome such as those due to bactera mycobacterium, viruses, fungi and even parasites like toxoplasma.

The person becomes so immuno-deficient that he/she is unable to protect himself/herself against these infections.

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