Specificity of CD8 T-Cell Responses Following Vaccination with Conserved Regions of HIV-1 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Sub-Saharan Africa carries the biggest burden of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)/AIDS epidemic and is in an urgent need of an effective vaccine. CD8 T cells are an important component of the host immune response to HIV-1 and may need to be harnessed if a vaccine is to be effective. CD8 T cells recognize human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-associated viral epitopes and the HLA alleles vary significantly among different ethnic groups.