Loading...
HIV-1 infection causes most AIDS cases worldwide, but in West Africa, HIV-2 is also prevalent. The natural history of HIV-2 infection tends to be more benign than that of HIV-1, and most patients infected solely with HIV-2 do not progress to AIDS. Previous research suggests that HIV-2 infection protects against subsequent HIV-1 infection and, in cases of dual infection, slows the rate of HIV-1 disease progression. Researchers recently tested this hypothesis using a long-term cohort of untreated individuals infected with one or both viruses.
From 1990 through 2007, all persons employed by the Guinea-Bissau police force were offered enrollment in a prospective study of HIV infection that included blood collection every 12 to 18 months. A total…