Despite the development of several promising therapeutic protocols des
igned to stop the spread of HIV, the eventual progression of patients
to AIDS remains unavoidable. To this day, the majority of approaches d
esigned to counter HIV, or at least to delay the col-lapse of the infe
cted patient's immune system, have been based on attempts to interfere
directly or indirectly with viral replication. Further understanding
of the role played by host factors in HIV pathogenesis is thus essenti
al in order to optimize current strategies and exploit new therapeutic
avenues. Recognition that it is the outcome of multiple and complex i
nteractions between the virus and the host which eventually determine
the fate of the patient, new emphasis stresses the importance of studi
es attempting to further characterize factors of host resistance and s
usceptibility, as well as host immunological parameters having an impa
ct on disease progression. In this article, we review the numerous rec
ent findings on host factors and HIV pathogenesis as presented at the
IXes entretiens du centre Jacques-Cartier. Recent studies on the topic
s of HN coreceptors, immune response adaptation to viral diversity, ly
mphocyte turnover, and impact of immune activation on viral dynamics a
re herein discussed.