Genital tract reservoirs.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The purpose of this article is to review recent findings about HIV in the genital tract. HIV is primarily a sexually transmitted disease, and the efficiency of transmission must reflect the biology of the genital tract. In addition, it has become increasingly clear that the male and female genital tract represent a unique reservoir that requires independent and detailed study.

RECENT FINDINGS

This review will address new data on the source of HIV in the genital tract, factors that affect HIV genital viral burden, ways that genital HIV differs from circulating HIV, drug resistance in the genital tract, and new insights and models of genital HIV transmission and immune response.

SUMMARY

Understanding how HIV infects, resides, and survives in the genital milieu is critical to understanding the disease itself, and devising ways to halt its spread.