Destruction of CD4 T lymphocytes alone cannot account for their long-term decrease in AIDS

Following previous models describing a quasi steady state (QSS) for the evolution of HIV infection and AIDS[1, 2], we have developed a larger formalism simulating the long-term evolution of the QSS[3]. We show that the long-term evolution of AIDS cannot be explained by the destruction alone of CD4 T cells, either directly or indirectly. The destruction of CD4 T cells can lead only to a QSS with a lower concentration of CD4 T cells, but CD4 destruction cannot generate the sustained long-term decrease in T cells leading to AIDS. We here suggest some workable explanations.