HIV infection is regarded as one of the most important causes of mortality
disease worldwide. The pathogenesis of HIV infection is complex and a multi-factorial
process that is influenced by both viral and host factors. These factors play an
important role in disease progression in HIV infected people. The HIV infected
individuals eventually develop AIDS in a different progressive rate. The biological
correlates to progression rate toward AIDS remain to be elusive. A variety of factors
including host genetic susceptibility, immune function, viral genetic variability and coinfections
with several microbial agents may affect the rate of progression of infection.
This chapter provides information on most important factors that regulate the rate of
progression of HIV infection toward AIDS.
Keywords: AIDS, CCR5, CXCR4, Cytokines, Dendritic cells, HIV, HLA-B27
antigen, HLA-B 57 antigen, Interferon gamma, Pathogenesis.
