Genetic diversity of HIV in Africa: impact on diagnosis, treatment, vaccine development and trials.

AIDS is caused by two lentiviruses: HIV-1 and HIV-2. AIDS was first recognized in the 1980s and is presently the leading cause of death in developing countries. Globally it is believed that 40 million individuals have been infected with HIV of which approximately 70% live in sub-Saharan Africa. There is currently no cure or vaccine for AIDS. One of the major characteristics of lentiviruses is their extensive genetic variability which is the result of the high error rate the recombinogenic properties of the reverse transcriptase enzyme and the fast turnover of virions in HIV-infected individuals. (excerpt)