Long-term survivors of HIV-1 infection.

The clinical course and outcome of HIV-1 infection are highly variable. A full spectrum of pathology has been observed, from rapid progression to AIDS within months of HIV-1 seroconversion, to asymptomatic survival for more than a decade. This phenomenon probably reflects the multiphasic and multifactorial nature of the virus-host interactions. Obviously, interest in the extremes now recognized in HIV-1 disease progression is growing, with the hope that mechanisms of protection may be found.