Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 20, 2026

Ex Vivo Infection of Human Lymphoid Tissue and Female Genital Mucosa with Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 and Histoculture
Published on: October 12, 2018
Origin of the transmitted virus in HIV infection: infected cells versus cell-free virus
1Boston University, Massachusetts.
Abstract:
All human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected inocula, such as genital secretions, breast milk, and blood, contain both cell-free virus and infected cells. The relative contributions of cell-free and/or cell-associated virus in establishing an infection in a naive host during the different modes of HIV-1 acquisition remains unclear. Studies aim to elucidate the source of the acquired virus because strategies to prevent acquisition may have differential efficacy against the different modes of transmission. In this review, I will detail some of the challenges in identifying the source of the transmitted virus, genotypic and phenotypic differences among cell-free compared with cell-associated HIV-1, and implications on the efficacy for prevention strategies.
More Related Videos
13:08Visualizing Cell-to-cell Transfer of HIV using Fluorescent Clones of HIV and Live Confocal Microscopy
Published on: October 7, 2010
07:39An In vitro Co-infection Model to Study Plasmodium falciparum-HIV-1 Interactions in Human Primary Monocyte-derived Immune Cells
Published on: August 15, 2012
Related Concept Videos
Size and Structure of Viral Genomes
Retroviruses
Retrovirus Life Cycles
Viruses with RNA Genomes