The main source of the disease is a person infected with HIV. The danger of infection persists at all stages of infection, for life.
Symptoms of HIV infection
Incubation stage (1) – can range from 3 weeks to 3 months, rarely lasting up to a year. During this time, the virus is actively reproducing, but there is no immune response to it yet.
Pathogenesis of HIV infection
The human immunodeficiency virus, upon entering the bloodstream, invades macrophages, microglia and lymphocytes, which are important in the formation of the body’s immune responses.
Characteristics of the pathogen
Human immunodeficiency virus is DNA-containing, belongs to the genus Lentivirus of the family Retroviridae.