Abstract:
We agree that the
issue of whether microbial translocation
(MT) is a cause or consequence of
human immunodeficiency virus type
1 (HIV-1) disease progression is an
important question that can only be
addressed through longitudinal analyses
of natural history cohorts such as the
study by Redd et al [1]. A timely and
definitive answer to this question will
depend on the availability of archived
specimens that have been well characterized
and properly stored. Specimen
banks of this nature are relatively rare in
Africa.