The inner ear (internal ear, auris interna) is the innermost part of the vertebrate ear. In vertebrates, the inner ear is mainly responsible for sound detection and balance. In mammals, it consists of the bony labyrinth, a hollow cavity in the temporal bone of the skull with a system of passages comprising two main functional parts:
In a laboratory setting, HIV has been kept alive for as long as 15 days after the body fluid has dried, but this was controlled at a stable temperature and humidity that would be nearly impossible to reproduce in the natural world.
For the majority of patients who have HIV, the dormancy period lasts about 10 years. About 10 percent to 20 percent of patients progress to having AIDS within 5 years. It is estimated that another 5 percent to 10 percent of patients will not reach the AIDS phase for more than 15 years.