XI International AIDS Conference: A New Focus on Primary HIV Infection

Primary HIV infection (the initial period of HIV infection) has become a new focus of research efforts; several groups presented data on this topic at the Vancouver conference. Interest in treating this phase of HIV infection stems from two potential goals of very early treatment. One is to see if treatment during primary HIV infection can improve the long-term course of disease. Recent data from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study suggest that a stable level of viral production, referred to as the set point, emerges after primary infection, and that a high set point is a key predictor of rapid progression. By treating in primary infection to reduce the intense viremia and initial destruction of the immune system that occurs in this phase, we may be able to lower the long-term set point of viral replication and slow progression of a patient's disease …