y include fever, fatigue, weight loss, skin rashes, a fungal infection of the mouth known as thrush, lack of resistance to infection, and swollen lymph nodes. HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is transmitted through blood, semen, and vaginal fluid. The virus is usually transferred through sexual intercourse, the transfusion of virus-contaminated blood, or the sharing of HIV-contaminated intravenous needles. HIV cannot penetrate intact bodily surfaces, such as skin, and quickly perishes outside the human body. Consequently, AIDS is not spread by casual physical contact. The virus has been found in tears and saliva, but it exists there in such low concentrations that transmission from these body fluids is extremely rare. There are no known cases of AIDS transmission by insects such as mosquitoes or by domestic animals.The AIDS virus causes so much damage to the immune system that the body becomes open to a variety of opportunistic infections, which are infections that are less harmful to people with normal immune systems, but that take advantage of the breakdown in an AIDS sufferers immune system to produce devastating and eventually lethal diseases. Among the most frequently occurring opportunistic infections are tuberculosis, a type of pneumonia. AIDS sufferers are also more likely to develop certain tumors, particularly Kaposis sarcoma, which is an unusual and uncommon form of cancer. The AIDS virus may also attack the nervous system and cause brain and eye damage. Usually, when the AIDS virus enters the bloodstream, the bodys immune system produces antibodies to battle the microorganism. A blood test, known as ELISA test, can detect these antibodies and therefore can indicate exposure to the virus. However, these tests can occasionally give false readings if the body does not make the antibodies yet. The blood tests only begin to give accurate results within two weeks to three months after infection, during which time an infected perso...
