Budding HIV particles, TEM

Rights Managed

SS2755954

SU5565

Budding HIV particles. Colored transmision electron micrograph (TEM) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) particles (orange) budding from the surface of a T lymphocyte (brown) from the H9 cell line. HIV attacks CD4+ T-lymphocytes, white blood cells, a crucial part of the body's immune system. It enters the cell, hijacks the cell's machinery to make more copies of the virus, and the new virus particles then burst from the membrane of the cell, killing it. This severely weakens the immune system, causing AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). The disease makes the patient susceptible to diseases that would otherwise be harmless. Magnification: x20,000 when printed at 10 centimeters wide.

NIBSC / Science Source