Cohorts for the study of HIV-1—exposed but uninfected individuals: benefits and limitations

Abstract

Since the late 1980s, with the first identification of individuals who were exposed to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) yet remained uninfected, or “HIV-1—resistant” individuals, a large number of cohorts that include HIV-exposed seronegative (HESN) subjects have been identified globally for the purpose of investigating the genetic, immunologic, and environmental factors that may help alter susceptibility to HIV-1. In this article, in light of the recent International Symposium on Natural Immunity to HIV, we review the characteristics of different groups with respect to their relative risks and briefly summarize the known cohorts that include exposed uninfected subjects worldwide.