HIV causes immune deficiency mainly because it infects and destroys
- A. helper T lymphocytes carrying the CD4 receptor
- B. red blood cells
- C. neutrophils in the bone marrow
- D. platelets in circulating blood
Explanation
The gp120 spike of HIV binds the CD4 receptor, so helper T cells are the main target, and these are the cells that activate both B lymphocytes and cytotoxic T cells. Losing them disables the whole specific immune response, which is why the patient dies of ordinary infections rather than of the virus itself. Red cells have no nucleus and no CD4 receptor, so they cannot be infected.
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