HIV can infect a cell, remain ‘intact’, and replicate but sometimes the virus becomes defective and can’t do so. Intact viruses are the main problem if people stop treatment because they can reactivate. Telling ‘intact’ HIV apart from ‘defective’ HIV is difficult. Pinzone et al. looked in detail at intact and defective viruses in four HIV+ people over time. Their results suggest that cells with intact virus are more likely to die than those with defective virus. This could be important for targeting the latent reservoir. The implications are still unclear from this small but intriguing study.
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