THE QUALITATIVE NATURE OF THE PRIMARY IMMUNE-RESPONSE TO HIV-INFECTION IS A PROGNOSTICATOR OF DISEASE PROGRESSION INDEPENDENT OF THE INITIAL LEVEL OF PLASMA VIREMIA

Following infection of the host with a virus, the delicate balance bet ween virus replication/spread and the immune response to the virus det ermines the outcome of infection, i.e., persistence versus elimination of the virus, It is unclear, however, what relative roles immunologic and virologic factors play during primary viral infection in determin ing the subsequent clinical outcome. By studying a cohort of subjects with primary HIV infection, it has been demonstrated that qualitative differences in the primary immune response to HIV, but not quantitativ e differences in the initial levels of viremia are associated with dif ferent clinical outcomes.