See also: Primary (Early) HIV Infection; Immune-Based Therapies; Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome (IRIS); Long-Term Nonprogressors and ‘Elite Controllers’; and Vaccines to Prevent and Treat HIV Infection
Background Information
Immune System Basics:
- How the Immune System Fights Disease (San Francisco AIDS Foundation)
Fact Sheets from AIDSmap:
Other Basic Resources:
- Understanding the Immune System (The Well Project)
- Immune System (Kidshealth)
- Body and Mind: The Immune Platoon (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) – an animated description of the immune system for children. Adopts a heroes and villains format
HIV Life Cycle:
- HIV life cycle (AIDS InfoNet) and Spanish version
- The HIV life cycle (Poz) and Spanish version
- The HIV life cycle (AIDSInfo)
HIV Disease Progression:
- Day One: After You’ve Tested Positive (Project Inform) – see sections called “What is HIV disease?” and “disease progression”
- How HIV Damages the Immune System (San Francisco AIDS Foundation)
- How HIV Causes AIDS (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases – NIAID)
- Stages of HIV Infection (AIDSmap)
- The Stages of HIV Disease (San Francisco AIDS Foundation)
Selected Recent Articles and Fact Sheets
- People with HIV Have Higher Rates of Autoimmune Disorders. (September 2016, Poz)
- Defective HIV DNA May Still Prompt HIV-Related Proteins. (August 2016, Poz)
- Bone Loss in First Months of HIV Treatment Linked to Immune Reconstitution. (May 2016, TheBodyPro)
- Breaking a “Vicious Circle”: Controlling HIV Reservoirs by Targeting Inflammation. (April 2016, amfAR)
- HIV Spreads Through The Body Much Faster Than Previously Thought. (April 2016, Poz)
- CTLs: Stormtroopers of the Immune System. (March 2016, amfAR)
- Antibody-mediated killing of HIV reservoirs by HIV controllers. (February 2016, Retrovirus Conference)
- Aspirin does not affect immune activation, endothelial function of HIV patients. (February 2016, Healio)
- Bacteria in our gut affects HIV — Is there a solution? (February 2016, Beta Blog)
- New family of neutralizing antibodies in HIV asymptomatic long-term nonprogressors. (February 2016, Retrovirus Conference)
- Potent broadly neutralising antibody responses in slow-progressing pediatric HIV. (February 2016, Retrovirus Conference)
- T cell control of HIV: Implications for vaccines and cure. (February 2016, Retrovirus Conference)
- The HIV latent reservoir: Obstacles and strategies to a cure. (February 2016, Retrovirus Conference)
- Treated HIV Still Replicates in Lymph Nodes and Fills Reservoir. (January 2016, Poz)
- Ongoing HIV Replication Replenishes Viral Reservoirs During Therapy. (January 2016, NIAID)
- Slower Immune Recovery for Rapid Progressors Starting HIV Meds. (December 2015, Poz)
- Why Some Sex Workers Resist HIV Infection. (December 2015, Poz)
- Breast Milk Yields Clues to Natural Inhibitors of HIV. (December 2015, amfAR)
- Smaller HIV Reservoir for Babies Treated Sooner After Birth. (December 2015, TheBodyPro)
- Fat Tissue May Be Another Part of HIV Reservoir. (September 2015, Poz)
- Division or Multiplication: Exploring the Maintenance of the HIV Reservoir. (September 2015, amfAR)
- Cell-to-Cell Transfer of HIV May Be Key Driver of AIDS. (September 2015, Poz)
- Children Who Contracted HIV at Birth May Lack Measles Immunity. (August 2015, Poz)
- Key Questions on HIV Persistence and Cure Research. (August 2015, amfAR)
- HIV Release From Latent Reservoir Much Slower Than Previously Thought. (August 2015, TheBodyPro)
- A New Way That HIV Exploits the Immune System. (July 2015, Poz)
- Individuals’ Genes Affected HIV Vaccine Efficacy. (July 2015, Poz)
- HIV Treatment Takes Longer to Suppress Higher Viral Loads. (July 2015, Poz)
- Elite Controllers of HIV May Owe Success to Dendritic Cells. (June 2015, Poz)
- Blocking HIV’s Sugar Supply Inhibits Replication. (June 2015 TheBodyPro)
- Human immune response may be able to control HIV-1 reactivation. (May 2015, Healio)
- HIV Ages Immune Cell DNA by 14 Years. (April 2015, Poz)
- HIV Researcher Questions Prevailing Wisdom About the Virus. (April 2015, Poz)
- 6 Overlooked Questions That May Hold the Key to Beating HIV. (April 2015, TheBodyPro)
- NIH Funds Research Into ‘Kick and Kill’ HIV Cure Strategy. (April 2015, Poz)
- Even Very Early HIV Treatment May Not Reverse Damage to the Gut. (March 2015, Poz)
- Experimental agents reverse HIV latency and help immune system fight HIV-infected cells. (March 2015, AIDSmap)
- Inflammation and gut leakage remains elevated in people with HIV despite early antiretroviral treatment. (March 2015, AIDSmap)
- Starting HIV treatment early leads to better health and improved immune systems. (March 2015, Project Inform)
- HIV Likely Evolved to Enter Latent State Because This Fuels Survival. (March 2015, Poz)
- Markers of Immune Exhaustion Predict Post-Treatment Control in HIV Patients. (February 2015, TheBodyPro)
- Speed of HIV’s Replication Affects Disease Progression. (February 2015, Poz)
- HIV Actually Appears to Have Strengthened, at Least in Europe. (December 2014, Poz)
- HIV has become more virulent over time, not less, European study finds. (December 2014, AIDSmap)
- HIV May Be Evolving Into a Weaker Virus. (December 2014, Poz)
- Three papers on macrophages and HIV infection. (November-December 2014, HIV Treatment Bulletin)
- HIV Can Infect Entire Female Reproductive Tract. (October 2014, Poz)
- New Technologies Provide Real-Time View of HIV on the Prowl. (October 2014, Poz)
- HIV Reservoir Discovered Within Lungs. (October 2014, TheBody)
- HIV May Replicate in Spinal Fluid Even After Years of Treatment. (October 2014, Poz)
- Rosuvastatin may be partially effective in moderating residual immune activation on ART. (September/October 2014, HIV Treatment Bulletin)
- HIV persists in lung macrophages of people on suppressive ART. (September/October 2014, HIV Treatment Bulletin)
- New HIV Antibody Target Could Aid a Vaccine, Treatment or PrEP. (September 2014, Poz)
- Stemming the Flow From HIV Reservoirs With Neutralizing Antibodies. (September 2014, Treatment Action Group)
- Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies May Control HIV Without ARVs. (August 2014, Poz)
- Latent HIV Reservoirs Appear to Be Reactivated by Compound Found in Plant. (August 2014, Treatment Action Group)
- Proteins That Help HIV Enter Cells Can Also Impede Its Release. (August 2014, Poz)
- HIV Can Disguise Itself as Bacteria and Evade Antibodies. (August 2014, Poz)
- Canadian Researchers Point to CMV as a Problem for the Immune System. (August 2014, CATIE)
- Powerful HIV Antibodies That May Assist a Vaccine Also Receive Assist. (August 2014, Poz)
- South African women living with HIV subtype C experience rapid CD4 cell loss. (August 2014, AIDSmap)
- Bone mineral density linked to inflammatory markers in HIV positive people who are ART naïve. (August 2014, HIV i-Base)
- Molecular events in HIV neutralising antibody development. (August 2014, HIV i-Base)
- Powerful HIV Antibodies May Require Assist from Second Antibody to Develop. (July 2014, NIAID)
- NIH-Supported Scientists Demonstrate Very Early Formation of SIV Reservoir. (July 2014, NIAID)
- At AIDS 2014, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci Discusses Key Challenges in HIV Scientific Discovery: Cure, Vaccine. (July 2014, NIAID)
- Inflammation/Activation Markers Drop With ATV, DRV, RAL, But Not Completely – ACTG Study. (July 2014, NATAP)
- Treating Early May Limit HIV Reservoir, But Virus Still Rebounds. (July 2014, Poz)
- Smoking Harms the Immune System in People With HIV. (May 2014, Poz)
- Cracking the Code of an Enzyme That Ultimately Helps HIV. (May 2014, Poz)
- Early antiretroviral therapy may limit gut damage and immune activation. (March 2014, AIDSmap)
- Woman With Lupus Develops Powerful HIV Antibodies. (March 2014, Poz)
- Lens Into Specific Antibody Evolution May Foresee HIV Vaccine. (March 2014, Poz)
- Inflammatory Cells Linked to Earlier Death From AIDS, Hep C. (January 2014, Poz)
- T Memory Stem Cells Are Likely a Cornerstone of HIV Reservoir. (January 2014, Poz)
- How HIV Instigates Cellular Suicide to Cause AIDS. (January 2014, Poz)
- Short course of ART during primary HIV infection has immunological and virological benefits after treatment is stopped. (December 2013, AIDSmap)
- HIV Causes AIDS by ‘Cellular Suicide,’ Not ‘Viral Murder.’ (December 2013, Poz)
- Newly Discovered HIV Strain Progresses to AIDS in Only 5 Years. (December 2013, Poz)
- New Piece of the Inflammation Puzzle Uncovered; CD4 Pyroptosis Mechanism Described. (December 2013, Project Inform)
- HIV Uses Invisibility Cloak to Evade Immune System. (November 2013, Poz)
- HIV may be becoming less fit as it adapts to the immune system. (November 2013, AIDSmap)
- Liver fibrosis linked to immune activation in HIV/HCV co-infected women. (October 2013, AIDSmap)
- Newly Found HIV Replication Pathway May Lead to New Drugs. (October 2013, Poz)
- CD4 Cell’s Main Coreceptor Is Mapped in High Resolution. (September 2013, Poz)
