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Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Pairwise Growth Competition Assay for Determining the Replication Fitness of Human Immunodeficiency Viruses
Published on: May 4, 2015
HIV-1 Transmission, Replication Fitness and Disease Progression
Tasha Biesinger1, Jason T Kimata
1Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030.
Abstract:
Upon transmission, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) establishes infection of the lymphatic reservoir, leading to profound depletion of the memory CD4(+) T cell population, despite the induction of the adaptive immune response. The rapid evolution and association of viral variants having distinct characteristics with different stages of infection, the level of viral burden, and rate of disease progression suggest a role for viral variants in this process. Here, we review the literature on HIV-1 variants and disease and discuss the importance of viral fitness for transmission and disease.
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