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Impaired T Lymphocyte Responses In Older Macaques: Possible Implications For Lentiviral Disease Progression, Sopitsuda Bunnag

Theses and Dissertations

Lentiviral infections of humans and rhesus macaques result in acquired immunodeficiency almost invariably. Yet the duration between the initial infection and the onset of generalized failure of the immune system varies between subjects, in both organisms. Furthermore, acquiring the infection at an older age tends to accelerate disease progression, but mechanisms underlying the latter phenomenon have not been elucidated. It is widely accepted that the events that take place during the very early stages of infection play a critical role in determining disease progression. During this brief period, a fierce competition between viral virulence mechanisms and host immune defenses takes …