HIV is a lentivirus, and like all viruses of this type, it attacks the immune system. Lentiviruses are in turn part of a larger group of viruses known as retroviruses.
The name ‘lentivirus’ literally means ‘slow virus’ because they take such a long time to produce any adverse effects in the body. This is why there are many people who are unaware of their HIV infection, and unfortunately, can spread the virus to others.
HIV multiplies in the CD4+ T cells of human immune system’s and kills vast number of the cells it infects causing imune deficiency in the host.
Retroviruses are viruses that contain RNA (ribonucleic acid) as their genetic material. After infecting a cell, retroviruses convert their RNA into DNA with the help of an enzyme called reverse transcriptase and then proceeds to replicate it self using the cell’s machinery.