HIV pathogenesis and transmission involve complex interactions between the invading pathogen (HIV) and its human host. The clinical course of HIV, as well as its transmission, is entirely dependent on these interactions. Consequently we are generally interested in how HIV infection regulates host genes and how host genes in turn regulate HIV replication and pathogenesis. We have a correllary interest in how other blood born invading pathogens can influence HIV transmission and pathogenesis, particularly West Nile Virus. Macrophages appear to support early viral replication and possibly transmission and serve as a critical reservoir for HIV throughout infection. Because macrophages are so central to HIV replication and transmission, we have focused on HIV replication in these cell types, studied in tissue culture, looking at the reciprocal regulation of host and viral genes.
