Abstract

AIDS remains one of the world’s most serious health challenges, with 35 million people living with HIV worldwide at the end of 2013. HIV sexual transmission accounts for the overwhelming majority of people newly infected, making genital and rectal mucosal tissues the major sites of infection. This review focuses on the role of the female genital epithelial cells in the establishment of HIV infection.

Keywords: Epithelial cells, female genital tract, HIV-1, innate immunity, microbicides, semen, sexually transmitted agents.

Graphical Abstract