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Tissue tropism is the range of cells and tissues of a host that support growth of a particular pathogen, such as a virus, bacterium or parasite. [1] [2]
Some bacteria and viruses have a broad tissue tropism and can infect many types of cells and tissues. [1] Other viruses may infect primarily a single tissue. [1] For example, rabies virus affects primarily neuronal tissue.
Factors influencing viral tissue tropism include:
The cellular receptors are the proteins found on a cell or viral surface. These receptors are like keys, allowing the viral cell to fuse with or attach itself to a cell. The way that these proteins are acquired is through a similar process to that of an infection cycle.
Tissue tropism develops in the following stages:
Example: HIV has a gp120, which is precisely what the CD4 marker is on the surface of the macrophages and T cells. Thus HIV can enter T cells and macrophages