Epidemiologically-Linked Transmission of HIV-1 Illustrates the Impact of Host Genetics on Virological Outcome

The diversity of HIV-1 and human genetics complicates our ability to determine the impact of treatment during primary HIV-1 infection (PHI) on disease outcome. Here we show in a small group infected with virtually identical HIV-1 strains and treated during PHI that only subjects expressing protective HLA alleles had lower viral loads following treatment discontinuation. These data suggests that genetic factors play a pivotal role in the outcome of HIV-1 infection despite early therapy.