Jennifer Drew
Just about two decades have passed since the first discovery of severe immunodeficiency in previously healthy homosexual men due to the discovery of the causing virus, to the current state of knowledge about the HIV virus and the pathogenic mechanisms induced by the virus, which is extensive but still incomplete. Furthermore, better treatments have been gradually introduced at a rate that is likely unique. Various molecular biological approaches have supported these processes. Estimating viremia and sequencing viruses, and thus describing the evolution of the virus, are important methods for understanding pathogenic processes. Some of the findings are described in the current thesis. While it was once considered that the virological profile reflected the clinical profile, with an acute infection followed by clinical latency for years and only indications of severe immunodeficiency after on average ten years, this understanding has been modified.
