TOPIC 1.CLASSIFICATION KINGDOM FUNGI

Diagram HIV attacking T-helper

HIV destroys helper-T cells in the following ways:

1. It reproduces inside the helper-T cell, and then ruptures the cell's membrane and the new viruses are released.
2. It alters the helper T-cells so that when it responds to an infection, it kills itself instead of dividing to form new cells.
3. It   marks helper-T cells as targets for destruction by other cells in the immune system.
4. It causes the fusion of many helper-T cells to form a giant' cell. Such a cell can survive but it cannot perform normal helper-T cell functions.

Thus, HIV lowers the body's immunity significantly making it vulnerable to opportunistic infections.

Platelets

Platelets are also called thrombocytes. They are fragments of cells produced in the bone marrow. One milliliter of blood contains about 250 000 to 400 000 platelets.They play an important role in the clotting process