NIBSC / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY NIBSC / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Coloured transmission electron micrograph of a T- lymphocyte cell infected with Human Immunodefi- ciency virus (HIV), the causative agent of AIDS. At centre, the pale pink nucleus of the T-cell can be seen. An infected T-cell typically has a lumpy appearance with irregular surface protrusions. The small red spherical virus particles on the cell surface are in the process of budding away from the cell membrane. The virus has instructed the cell to reproduce more viruses. Depletion of the number of T-cells through HIV infection is the main reason for the destruction of a person's immune system in the disease of AIDS. Magnification: x2160 at 6x4.5cm size.
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