The Molecular Biology of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection

Abstract

HUMAN immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) has been clearly identified as the primary cause of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).^{1 , 2} Unlike any other infectious disease in modern medical history, AIDS has galvanized the concern and efforts of physicians, scientists, and the lay public alike. The magnitude of the mounting AIDS problem is indeed sobering. Since the initial clinical reports in the summer of 1981, over 132,000 cases of AIDS have been diagnosed in the United States, and nearly half the patients have died as a result of their disease.³ In addition, between 1 and 2 million Americans are now infected . . .