HIV-1-specific CD8 T cell responses in a pediatric slow progressor infected as a premature neonate.

We describe the long-term survival of an individual infected with HIV-1 during extrauterine life as a premature newborn. In the absence of viral attenuation in the Nef/LTR structure or significant co-receptor polymorphisms, slow progression was associated with strong HIV-1-specific broadly cross-reactive CD8 T cell responses. HIV-1 infection as early as 25 weeks' gestation may thus result in the development of immune responses that control viral replication and lead to prolonged survival.