Immune responses are controlled by both positive (upregulatory) and negative (downregulatory) signals. T cells generating the upregulatory signals, T helper (T H ) cells, were intensively studied in a variety of experimental systems and their crucial role for immune surveillance can be demonstrated during human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. HIV utilizes for its entry into human organisms surface receptors on T H cells. The cytopathogenic and other effects of HIV lead to the T H cell depletion, breakdown of immune responses, including breakdown of the resistance to various pathogens and some neoplasms. Therefore, the infection of the AIDS patients with pathogens that are harmless for HIV-uninfected individuals may be lethal for the patients.
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Jan Bubeník (2006) studied this question.
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