Proteomic Characterization of HIV Infection.

In the summer of 1981, young gay men began falling ill and dying of opportunistic infections. The strange thing was that these infections should have been easily rebuffed by their immune systems (Greene WC, Eur J Immunol 37(Suppl 1):S94-S102, 2007). These men become emaciated and developed dark purple lesions primarily on their arms and faces. These lesions were due to Kaposi's sarcoma, a relatively rare and aggressive form of cancer (Antman K and Chang Y, N Engl J Med 342:1027-1038, 2000). Physicians in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco were dumbfounded by the presence of young men who appeared elderly (Greene WC, Eur J Immunol 37(Suppl 1):S94-S102, 2007; Premeaux TA and Ndhlovu LC, Curr Opin HIV AIDS 18:237-245, 2023). Fear initially spread throughout the gay male community as this group was disproportionately impacted. As their health rapidly deteriorated, doctors were unable to prevent patients from dying from opportunistic infections and malignancies. The condition was recognized in 1981 as acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) (CDC, MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 30:305-308, 1981). As it became more publicized, the shock and stigma surrounding individuals who died from AIDS grew. The first major figure to reveal their AIDS diagnosis was Rock Hudson. This revelation was followed by other well-known individuals including Robert Reed (i.e., the father on the Brady Bunch), Arthur Ashe, and Freddie Mercury ( webmd.com/hiv-aids/ss/slideshow-celebrities-hiv-aids ).