H - Human - because this virus can only infect human beings. A similar virus exists which is capable of infecting several types of monkeys; scientists call this virus SIV 

I - Immuno-deficiency - because the effect of the virus is to create a deficiency, a failure to work properly, within the body's immune system.

V - Virus - because this organism is a virus, which means one of its characteristics is that it is incapable of reproducing by itself. It reproduces by taking over the machinery of the human cell.

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