Correlation between breadth of memory HIV-specific cytotoxic T cells, viral load and disease progression in HIV infection.

Background: Memory cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) should play a key role in controlling HIV infection. The correlations between the breadth and specificities of memory CTL and virus production and disease progression are still unknown, but are of major importance for vaccine strategies.

Methods And Design: One-hundred and forty-eight chronically-infected patients, enrolled before the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy, were followed-up prospectively over 5 years.