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HIV and the causes of AIDS
It has generally been accepted throughout the scientific community for a number of years that infection with HIV is the necessary pre-condition for the development of AIDS.
It is evidently possible for an individual's immune system to be compromised in other ways, and in rare cases this can lead to the same kinds of infection as those seen in AIDS. This has been termed idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia or ICL. The immune suppression seen in ICL is not always the same as in AIDS however, often clearing up without treatment.
Although it is clear that HIV has a central role in the development of AIDS, it is not clear exactly what this role is. The human immune system is immensely complex and there are many ways in which it can be affected by a retrovirus such as HIV. Furthermore, it is also not clear what role (if any) other factors – known as co-factors – may play in the development of immune damage.
See the HIV & AIDS Treatments Directory for a full discussion of these issues.