Infection with the human immunodeficiency virus is characterized by the destruction of the host immune system as also reflected by a progressive loss of CD4-positive T-cells. This finally results in the host's incapacity to deal with opportunistic infections and the immune surveillance of tumors, a clinical status known as the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
The book AIDS Pathogenesis provides the reader with a complete overview of the clinical course of HIV-1 infection. It describes the clinical aspects of primary infection, the different clinical outcomes of HIV-1 infection, and strategies for anti-viral treatment. In addition, more fundamental aspects of HIV-1 infection are reviewed. These include the biology of the virus and the novel insights in AIDS pathogenesis. Not only is the significance of an HIV-specific cellular and humoral immune response discussed, but also the possible incapacity of the adult human host to deal with T-cell destruction. Finally, the book discusses the currently used laboratory markers that allow for monitoring of the clinical course of infection.

Inhalt
Aids Pathogenesis: Table of Contents.- 1 HIV-1 transmission.- 2 Primary HIV infection.- 3 Biological variability of HIV-1.- 4 T-cell dynamics and renewal in HIV-1 infection.- 5 Long-term non-progressive HIV infection.- 6 Cytotoxic T lymphocytes in HIV-1 infection.- 7 Mechanisms and in-vivo significance of HIV-1 neutralisation.- 8 Suppression of primate immunodeficiency lentiretroviruses CD8+ T-cell-derived soluble factors.- 9 Opportunistic infections.- 10 AIDS-related non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.- Pathogenesis of Kaposi's sarcoma.- 11 AIDS dementia complex.- 12 Anti-retroviral therapy and resistance to anti-retroviral drugs.- 13 Prognostic markers and immunological reconstistution during HIV-1 infection.- 14 HIV-viral load.- 15 The SCID-hu mouse: an in-vivo model for HIV-1 infection in humans.- Non-human primate models for HIV-1 infection.