The THEORY

Simply put:  The THEORY proposes that HIV does not suppress the immune system by killing off massive numbers of T-cells.  Rather, HIV causes cells to clump together and migrate out of the bloodstream and into surrounding tissues, rendering them ineffective.  Concurrently, the THEORY also proposes that the reason T-cells are not replaced is not because the immune system is exhausted, but rather that, because of this migration, the body does not "know" these cells are no longer functioning and so does not replace them.
 

The following is a brief summary:

• The THEORY proposes that HIV does not move very efficiently through the bloodstream.

• Once the antibody to HIV appears, newly produced viral particles in the bloodstream are killed off almost immediately.

• Many of the cells that are infected die by committing cellular suicide.

• The body senses the death of those cells and replaces them.

• A small percentage of the time, infected cells fail to commit suicide, and become chronically infected.

• The small percentage of cells that are infected gain the ability to clump together and migrate out of the bloodstream into surrounding tissues.

• Those tissues become inflamed, attracting white cells to those areas.

• The already-infected cells then fuse with and absorb the attracted white cells.

• Not having died, the absorbed cells are not replaced by the body.

• This process continues until populations of individual cells are depleted, and the immune system collapses.

A more detailed description of The THEORY, including the history of its origin and development, appear on the pages of this site.  When read in sequence, they provide a detailed understanding of  The THEORY.
 

Dick Remley (deceased)