Latent reservoirs of HIV: Obstacles to the eradication of virus

The use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in the treatment of HIV-l-infected individuals has provided a considerable amount of informati on regarding the dynamics of viral replication and has resulted in enormous advances in HIV therapeutics. The profound suppression of plasma viremia i n HIV-infected individuals receiving HAART has resulted in a highly benefic ial clinical effect and a dramatic decrease in the death rate attributable to AIDS. Nonetheless, the persistence of reservoirs of HIV, including laten tly infected, resting CD4(+) T cells that can give rise to infectious HIV u pon stimulation in vitro, has posed a sobering challenge to the long-term c ontrol or eradication of HIV in infected individuals receiving HAART. Altho ugh a recent study has demonstrated that the size of the pool of latently i nfected, resting CD4(+) T cells can be markedly diminished with intermitten t interleukin (IL)-2 and continuous HAART, complete eradication of HIV in i nfected individuals remains extremely problematic. Here, we discuss recent developments in studies of the latent reservoir of HIV in patients receivin g HAART and implications for the long-term treatment of infected individual s and eradication of the infection.