The HIV virus, which causes AIDS, was first recognized as a new and distinct clinical entity in 1981. Since then it has become a universal epidemic concerning all of mankind.(3) This epidemic is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, also known as HIV. HIV belongs to the retrovirus family, a family of RNA viruses noted for possession of a viral reverse transcriptase.(2) Reverse transcriptase allows a retrovirus to synthesize DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) from their RNA. HIV like all viruses replicates inside a host cell. By seizing a host cell, the HIV virus starts with the entry into the host cell. The host cell is a cell with a surface molecule called cluster designation 4 or CD4.(2) These molecules are known as CD4+ cells. The virus surface molecules, which are classified as glycoprotein protrude from the surface of the virus and bind tightly to the CD4+ molecule on the cell surface. The membranes of the cell and virus then fuse together. .
The next process the virus undergoes is reverse transcription and DNA synthesis. The HIV virus releases the enzyme, reverse transcriptase, which converts viral RNA into DNA that is then implanted into the hosts DNA. The new DNA is spliced into the host cells genetic sequence. The HIV DNA is termed a "provirus." The way to achieve provirus reproduction is by using the host's cells protein and making machinery to produce copies of RNA.(2) These reproductions are called messenger RNA (mRNA). This process is called transcription and involves the host cell's own enzymes. Enabling viral genes can now control the host cell's process. MRNA is produced in the cell's nucleus and is transported to the cytoplasm where it is used to achieve translation. These new protein chains gather inside the cellular membrane where they split into smaller pieces by a viral enzyme called protease. This step involves infectious viral particles that spread through the body at an alarming rate.