CD4 responses to conserved HIV‐1 T helper epitopes show both negative and positive associations with virus load in chronically infected subjects

SUMMARY Characterization of immune responses to immunodominant CD4 epitopes in HIV‐1 that are associated with control of HIV infection could be used to strengthen the efficacy of polyepitope HIV vaccines. We measured both the proliferative and the CD4 interferon (IFN)‐γ and interleukin (IL)‐2 cytokine responses specific for 11 previously identified HIV‐1 T helper epitopes in 10 HIV‐infected non‐progressors (LTNPs) (infected for a median of 15 years with a stable CD4 count of >500 cells × 106/l), and seven slow progressors (SPs) (infected for a median of 15 years with a CD4 count that had declined to