CD4 and HIV infectious disease: Host factors associated with susceptibility to HIV infection are inflammatory markers, such as tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), IFN-α, interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), as well as thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and MIP-3α secreted primarilyby ECs after downstream HIV signalling, favouring the recruitment of plasmacytoid DC (pDC) and CD4+ target cells.