The report was concerned with the processes responsible for removal of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from the bloodstream following infection. It was commonly believed that viral concentration decreases with time during the acute phase of the infection because of the body's specific defense systems, particularly those mediated by cytotoxic T cells. The author hypothesized that non-specific immune processes (for example, viral intolerance to high pH) could be responsible, and using heuristic equations based on this idea, explained the observed time-dependence of HIV in the blood of infected patients.