HIV pathogenesis: mechanisms of susceptibility and disease progression.

The understanding of the factors associated with HIV-1 acquisition and disease progression has been significantly advanced in the past few years. These factors can be broadly defined as intrinsic or acquired and are operative at the levels of disease acquisition and progression or both. Much recent attention has focused on the identification of allelic variants at specific genetic loci that alter either susceptibility to infection or the natural history of disease progression. In addition, a more detailed understanding of the immunologic responses to HIV-1 and factors that perturb these responses has greatly enhanced our understanding of the immunologic control of HIV-1 and the roles of cofactors in HIV-1 acquisition and disease progression.