tmb@ai.mit.edu (Thomas M. Breuel) (05/04/91)
The recent discussion of how long it takes to seroconvert after one is exposed to HIV made me wonder if any animal studies had been done on this subject. Time to seroconversion might depend very much on the mode of transmission. To answer the recurring question of how long it takes to seroconvert, my impression from a recent literature search as well as from discussions with other biologists is that for common modes of transmission (sexually, IV drugs) most people will seroconvert within about 6 months from the time of infection (median, about 2 months). There appear to be a few cases in which seroconversion occurs late, possibly taking years. You do not need animal studies to obtain such results. For example, even in HIV-aware homosexuals, a small fraction (of the order of 0.5%/year) will become infected. These individuals can be detected and followed.