HIV-2: the forgotten AIDS virus.
HIV type 2 (HIV-2), a closely related retrovirus discovered a few years after HIV type 1, causes AIDS in only a minority of infected individuals. Determining why HIV-2 causes asymptomatic infection in most patients could further our understanding of HIV immunopathogenesis. Studies to date have suggested that both enhanced immune responses and lower viral replication could play a role. We summarize the important findings to date and highlight areas that warrant further exploration.
de Silva
Thushan I
TI
Medical Research Council Laboratories, Atlantic Road, PO Box 273, Fajara, The Gambia, West Africa. tdesilva@mrc.gm
Cotten
Matthew
M
Rowland-Jones
Sarah L
SL
D000818:Animals; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology; D015498:HIV-2 / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence
D015483:HIV Antibodies