Before revision: The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) integrates its genetic material in a small and non-random fraction of all possible integration sites along the host genome . The mechanisms driving this non-uniform selection are not known. To address this issue, we formulate a generic physical model where we treat the viral incorporation into DNA and chromosomes as a stochastic quasi-equilibrium  process.
After revision: The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) integrates its genetic material in a small and non-random fraction of all possible integration sites along the host genome via poorly understood selection mechanisms. Here, we develop a biophysical model for retroviral integrations as stochastic and quasi-equilibrium process.