Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
F i g u r e 6.4. Viral load/CTL correlation.
The data also showed that the combined e¨ects of both Pol- and Env-speci®c
CTL are a stronger predictor of HIV-1 viral load burden than the e¨ects of Pol-
speci®c CTL alone. This clearly suggests that CTL may have played a role in
the long-term survival of these individuals by keeping their viral replication in
check.
CONCLUSION
HIV-speci®c CTL responses are complex and depend on several factors, in-
cluding viral mutations, viral load, host factors such as disease progression,
stage of infection, other immune regulatory factors, and drug use. It also de-
pends on whether the patient is an infant or adult. Our current knowledge of
these HIV-speci®c responses has largely been obtained by ex vivo and in vitro
studies.
