News Life

HIV hides in growth-promoting genes

Virus can spur infected cells to divide, creating long-term reservoirs of infection

HIDEOUT  HIV (yellow) infects immune cells called T cells (blue), as seen in this scanning electron micrograph. The discovery that HIV inserts itself in a host’s genes related to cell growth may help explain how the virus persists in the body for so long.

NIAID

By Tina Hesman Saey

- More than 2 years ago

HIV can sometimes create a self-replicating hideout that allows the virus to stay dormant in the body for a decade or more, a new study suggests.