Theories About Immune Resistance to HIV
Populations of exposed uninfected people exist in areas where the Δ32 allele is essentially absent; therefore, there is more than one way for a person to be HIV-resistant. Drs. Andrew J. McMichael and Job J. Bwayo are researching Kenyan prostitutes who are frequently exposed to HIV but remain HIV-negative because of an exceptional anti-HIV immune response.

Normally a person infected with HIV has an immune response but only after infection. The exceptional response appears to be generated without an established HIV infection. The genetics of this resistance are more complex than the one conferred by the Δ32 allele. However, an immune response that prevents HIV infection is promising for the development of an HIV vaccine.

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