Health Facts

These ‘elite controllers’ have long been the targets of research into how their immune systems control HIV replication, and whether treatments such as therapeutic vaccines could induce the same state in other HIV-positive people, enabling them to stop taking ART.
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Besides having aa reduced viral count, elite controllers are also associated with elevated CD4 cell counts and reduced risk of AIDS and death.
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It is noteworthy that no single genetic characteristic has been identified that is shared by a majority of elite controllers. They are also different from people with the genetic mutation known as CCR5-delta 32 that hampers HIV's ability to infiltrate immune cells.