Human immunodeficiency virus

The current designations of specific human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 strains as circulating recombinant form (CRF) versus parental subtypes are subject to change, since putative evolutionary relationships can be confounded by sampling history and high rates of recombination. Disorders of the peripheral nervous system can be classified as distal symmetric polyneuropathy, toxic neuropathy, inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, progressive polyradiculopathy, and mononeuropathy multiplex. The major causes of transmission of HIV, sexual intercourse and injection drug use, represent two extremely strong biological drives. The ultimate goal of chemotherapy of HIV is to thus identify drug regimens that completely inhibit virus replication. Although any function in a genetically efficient organism is a candidate for an inhibitory drug, the currently approved drugs are directed against reverse transcriptase (RT), protease (PR), integrase (IN), and viral entry, with the RT inhibitors being classified as nucleosides or nonnucleosides. The correlation of risk of progression with certain class I human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotypes and with the breadth and magnitude of cell-mediated immune responses has prompted interest in therapeutic immunization to enhance these beneficial responses. This approach in general has been aimed at delivering immunogens while the immune system is fully protected by potent antiretroviral chemotherapy and then ascertaining whether a benefit can be discerned after withdrawal of therapy.