These interactions initiate a fusion of the viral and cellular membranes. The authors suggest their results provide a framework for understanding the complex biology of HIV entry into cells and should guide efforts at intervention in the pathological process. HIV-1 is the subtype of HIV that causes most cases of AIDS in the Western Hemisphere, Europe, and Central, South, and East Africa. HIV-2 is the principal agent of AIDS in West Africa.
Lymphocytes are a type of leukocyte responsible for the immune response.
An antibody is a protein molecule produced by the immune system of vertebrate organisms, the molecule designed to specifically interact with a particular invading foreign chemical entity called an antigen. The T-cells derive their name from the thymus gland, the organ in which they mature.