The retrovirus sections of the meeting focused on fundamental, preclinical aspects of the development of antiretroviral agents, although some clinical developments were also discussed. Novel nucleoside analogs, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, protease inhibitors, as well as preclinical data on new molecules that target early stages of HIV-1 infection (HIV integrase), were discussed. The meeting comprised plenary presentations, short oral communications and over 180 oral or poster presentations, of which more than 70 dealt with inhibition of retrovirus replication with an emphasis on the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).